Empty Houses But Full Roads

Now that our kids are back in school, our homes are empty houses but the roadways are much, much busier in the mornings and afternoons. Not only are there more people on the roads dropping off and picking up their children from school, but there are more school busses and more pedestrians.

Of course we have to be more cautious on the road when there is more congestion, but now we must remember the amount of children that are the cause of this congestion. Not only do we have the new 16-year-old drivers on their way to school to contend with but we also have the 10-year-old bike riders and 6-year-olds getting off the bus. We have to be ready for the child to pop out from in front of a bus or to ride their bike into the road where there is no crosswalk. We have to be ready when we get in our automobiles in the morning to be completely engaged with the driving process. No more cell phones, make-up applications, or business reports to read. Eyes and ears on the road!

Also, please do not overlook the school parking lot. Most schools have very particular drop-off and pick-up procedures and it is vital to follow these procedures if you want to avoid hurting a child (much less make it to work on time in the morning). One person going against the flow can create havoc in a school parking lot at 2:30 in the afternoon. This can make it very easy to lose sight of tiny people looking for their parents’ car. Remember, watching for cars is probably the last thing on the mind of a young child just let out of class, so as adults we have to take this responsibility upon ourselves.

We constantly hear about some tragic accident involving a school age child---I can’t truly know what it is to be that parent. Even though I have represented many clients whose children were hurt and or killed in car pedestrian accidents, because I have never been in that position myself, I don’t want to know. Likewise, I surely don’t want to be in the other position as well---being the one who hit and injured a child. As I have said before and will keep saying, no matter who is determined to be at fault----No One “Wins” when this occurs!

School is back in session. Our children are out and about. Let’s all take a deep breath and greet the school year with a hearty welcome, but also, a careful caution. We wish everyone a very safe school year!


**If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email Chris Zachar directly at Czachar@zacharlaw.com, or visit our website at www.ZacharLawFirm.com .



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