BURRILLVILLE – I’ve noticed during my early morning travels that it’s darker in the a.m. than it was before we all set our clocks forward one hour. This means that kids are walking to their bus stops in the dark. It also means that it’s darker while kids are waiting for the school bus at their bus stops.
Kids should take extra precautions when walking to their bus stops and while waiting for their school bus to arrive. Watch where you are walking. Walk, never run, on your way to the bus stops. Always look both ways before crossing streets and only cross when it is safe to do so. Drivers should slow down and watch for children walking to their bus stops and take extra care when driving near a known bus stop. These routes are daily and common, so drivers should be fully aware of where they are during the school year. Kids should always keep hands and stuff they are bringing to and from school away from bus windows. Hands can get hurt and items can fall out of windows. It’s also a distraction for bus drivers and safety monitors. Pay attention to your surroundings and use caution when walking and crossing streets on your way to bus stops.
Stay safe!
Jim Weicherding is a Burrillville resident, and the founder and creator of an award-winning traffic safety effort Seasons of Safety. Weicherding contributes kids’ coloring cartoons, which can be printed and used to help parents discuss safety issues with their children. He has a long list of police officers and firefighters in his family and has worked with law enforcement and firefighters in a creative public safety capacity for more than two decades.
