As with many kids throughout Canada, those in Vancouver head back to school September 6th this year. Like lemmings heading blindly to the sea, kids of all ages will be migrating their way to a school near you, and that holds serious implications for drivers.
If the kids in your city are like those in la la land Vancouver, they’ll exhibit a reckless confidence toward traffic – such that they’re car-proof. Sadly, as motorists, we know that nothing could be further from the truth; they’re about as car-proof as a squished bug on a summer windshield.
Despite their sense of invincibility, the onus to protect the lemmings is ours – the everyday motorist. In Vancouver, traffic cops take a special interest in conducting rigid enforcement in and around school zones to set the tone during the first few weeks of school.
In addition to the police with ticket books in hand, most schools deploy crossing guards with “stop” paddles in hand. Whether these volunteers are retired adults or youngsters belonging to the school, the need to anticipate their presence and comply with their efforts to get kids safely across busy streets is paramount.
We all know the traffic chaos that accompanies the “back to school blues,” so please adopt a few mitigating strategies like leaving home several minutes early and avoiding school zones whenever possible.
Although I no longer make the daily school sojourn thanks to offspring adulthood, I’m well aware of the insanity that erupts around schools as impatient parents exercise uncalled-for aggression in dropping their charges off door-to-door. U-turns, stopping in the “no stopping” zones and general arrogance are often the case as parents jockey for position with little ones under instruction to jump and run.
Expect the unexpected – and remember, everyone but the young know they’re not car-proof. I wish they were; automotive-related incidents make-up the leading cause of death among children – and that’s a preventable cause.
If the kids in your city are like those in la la land Vancouver, they’ll exhibit a reckless confidence toward traffic – such that they’re car-proof. Sadly, as motorists, we know that nothing could be further from the truth; they’re about as car-proof as a squished bug on a summer windshield.
 |
| (Photo: Brian Snelson/Flick.com) |
Despite their sense of invincibility, the onus to protect the lemmings is ours – the everyday motorist. In Vancouver, traffic cops take a special interest in conducting rigid enforcement in and around school zones to set the tone during the first few weeks of school.
In addition to the police with ticket books in hand, most schools deploy crossing guards with “stop” paddles in hand. Whether these volunteers are retired adults or youngsters belonging to the school, the need to anticipate their presence and comply with their efforts to get kids safely across busy streets is paramount.
We all know the traffic chaos that accompanies the “back to school blues,” so please adopt a few mitigating strategies like leaving home several minutes early and avoiding school zones whenever possible.
 |
| (Photo: jeweledlion/Flickr.com) |
Although I no longer make the daily school sojourn thanks to offspring adulthood, I’m well aware of the insanity that erupts around schools as impatient parents exercise uncalled-for aggression in dropping their charges off door-to-door. U-turns, stopping in the “no stopping” zones and general arrogance are often the case as parents jockey for position with little ones under instruction to jump and run.
Expect the unexpected – and remember, everyone but the young know they’re not car-proof. I wish they were; automotive-related incidents make-up the leading cause of death among children – and that’s a preventable cause.