Back To School Safety

Where did summer go?
It’s back to school day and thousands of students in our Region have returned to classrooms today embarking on another year of educational growth.
This voyage also means you can expect an increased number of vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians on our roadways and sidewalks all throughout our community for the next foreseeable future.
Make sure you keep an extra keen eye out for students, especially the younger ones who may be a bit distracted by the excitement of going back and reconnecting with their school friends.
To help keep everyone safe, here are a few safety tips to keep in mind for both drivers and students alike:

• Reduce speeds in school zones, be aware of posted school zone speed limits and be ready to stop your vehicle at a moment’s notice. Kids do not always notice oncoming traffic.
• Obey school bus signals and give plenty of time and space. There are hefty fines and demerit points for passing a school bus illegally.
• Watch for crosswalks and obey them when in use. Make sure students have completely crossed before driving through.
• Walk on the sidewalks, not the roads, when the option is available.
• Always cross at intersections. Make sure to look and listen for traffic and only walk across the road when it’s safe to do so.
• Obey adult crossing guards and school bus operator’s signals.
• Make sure you wear a helmet when riding your bike and take extra caution by walking your bike across roadways.

Roundabouts are also quite prevalent in our community. It’s important to know how to safely maneuver them. Here’s a quite reminder for basic operation:

• Slow down when approaching and driving through.
• Look and plan ahead before entering.
• Be in the right lane if you plan to exit at position 1 or 2. Be in the left lane when entering if you plan to exit at position 2, 3, or 4.
• Pedestrians always go first. When entering or exiting, yield to foot traffic at the crosswalk.
• Look left when entering, yield to traffic already in the roundabout, find a safe gap, and then go.
• Don’t pass vehicles in a roundabout.
• Signal when entering and leaving a roundabout. (Signal right when leaving)

Speaking of safety, Toyota is proud to continually put safety first and ultimately would love to see a world without accidents. Toyota Safety Sense is one way we’re working towards that goal. Click here to find more information on the advanced suite of safety features standard on virtually all Toyota models.

In the meantime, here’s to safe and happy school year for all families!