Back-to-School Road Safety: What Drivers Need to Remember

School zones are busy again this week, and the OPP is asking drivers to treat morning drop-off and afternoon pickup as the highest-risk windows of the day.

The school bus rules are the part people get wrong. Amber flashing lights mean the bus is about to load or unload passengers and drivers should be ready to stop. Once the red overhead lights are flashing, stopping is required by law, and you stay stopped until those lights go off and the stop arm folds back in.

On a road with no physical median, traffic in both directions has to stop. On a road separated by a physical median, only the vehicles travelling behind the bus are required to.

Students and parents get a share of it too. Police are asking families to use designated crosswalks and intersections, look left, right and left again, make eye contact with drivers and confirm vehicles have actually stopped before stepping off the curb. Where crossing guards are working, follow their directions.

What the OPP is asking of drivers

• Slow down and obey posted limits, especially in school and community safety zones
• Put away distractions and keep your eyes on the road
• Watch for children who may step into the roadway unexpectedly
• Expect heavier traffic at school arrival and dismissal times
• Never pass a stopped school bus with its red overhead lights flashing

A few extra seconds of patience at a bus stop costs nothing, which is the whole argument.