School is starting soon, and with school comes the outpouring of students onto the sidewalks, crosswalks and streets.
Deputy Dan Sperry, the school resource officer at Bonneville High School, came into the studio to talk about school safety.
“When our kids are on the street, that makes me worry the most,” Sperry said. “I’ve sadly been to a couple crashes over the last couple of years where students have been hit while waiting for their school bus or walking to school.”
He said to pay close attention to the crosswalks, especially right now when everyone is getting back into their school routine.
According to safekids.org, pedestrian injuries are the fifth leading cause of injury-related death in the United States for school-aged kids.
“Kids are going to be out there where we don’t expect them,” Sperry said.
Another thing to pay attention to is school buses.
School buses only have one purpose- and that’s the safe transportation of kids. Slow down, watch for their flashing lights and follow the rules to keep our kids safe.
Our interview with Deputy Sperry:
Sperry said in District 93, about 125 cars passed school buses last year.
These kinds of incidents all get reported. Every bus in district 93 has cameras on the outside, which capture video of the incident and record license plates.
School zones are coming back into play as well, meaning drivers need to be a lot more careful around schools.
Sperry said the fine for violating a school zone is about $155. It also affects car insurance for at least three years, which can really make a dent in your wallet.
Pay attention and keep an eye out for students.
About 800 school-aged kids are killed in motor vehicle crashes during normal school hours every year, according to the Transportation Research Board.
“Hug your kids every day,” Sperry said.
The best way we can prevent our community from adding to that tragedy is vigilance on the road. So pay attention.