Back-to-School Safety Advice from Cedar Rapids Police
The Cedar Rapids Police Department would like to help students and parents transition into the new school year safely by offering some back-to-school safety advice. Citizens should be prepared for increased foot and motor vehicle traffic in residential neighborhoods around schools.
Students should be cautious when walking to and from school. Here are a few safety tips:
- Plan a safe walking route to school. Choose the most direct route to school and minimize the number of streets that you have to cross. It is best to cross the street at intersections with traffic controls or where a crossing guard is present. Never cross the street against a red light, even if you don't see any traffic coming.
- Wear reflective clothing and bright colors so that drivers can see you more easily.
- Students should be ready for their school bus and wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before approaching it. Students should not wait for the bus in the roadway.
If your child rides a bicycle to school, remind them to wear a bicycle helmet and obey traffic laws and regulations.
Motorists should be aware that when school is back in session there will be children walking to and from schools and bus stops. For the safety of students and drivers, the Police Department offers the following safety tips:
- Watch for children entering the street from behind buses or running to catch the bus.
- Watch for children walking or biking to school when backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage.
- Drive slowly when approaching children who are riding bicycles and walking near the street.
- Watch your speed around school zones. Slow down and obey all traffic laws and speed limits. School zones have a reduced speed limit at designated times of the day.
- Avoid texting or talking on your cell phone while driving, especially in a school zone.
- When driving your children to school, drop them off and pick them up as close to the school as possible. Don’t leave your children until they are safely on school grounds.
- Watch for school buses. Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm indicate the school bus is stopping to load or unload children. State law requires you to stop. When a school bus is stopped with the stop sign extended from the driver’s window you must stop immediately, no matter what direction you are traveling.
- As we transition from summer to fall, there will be less daylight and children will be out in the morning and may be more difficult to see.
The Cedar Rapids Police Department appreciates the cooperation of students and drivers in ensuring that getting to and from school is conducted in a safe manner.
Lastly, an important back-to-school lesson that parents can share with their children is a discussion about strangers – don’t talk to strangers, never get in their vehicle, and never take candy, gifts or money from strangers. If approached by a stranger, children should run away and tell a trusted adult immediately. The trusted adult should be instructed to call and report the incident to police.
