Back to school: With students back in class, safety once again important
Most Rio Grande Valley public schools start classes Monday, meaning drivers and other residents once again should remember to factor school traffic when they plan their daily activities.
The first day of class generally is hectic, with more parents driving or walking their children to school so they can be sure the students get to the right class at the right time.
After the first few days some of those children will walk or ride bicycles to school on their own, but the extra traffic, coupled with the slower speed limits that go into effect around most schools, could add a few minutes to all drivers’ trips.
Slower speed limits aren’t the only concern for drivers. More schools are taking advantage of the state law passed in 2009 that allows them to prohibit the use of mobile phones in those zones.
That prohibition must be posted to be enforceable, so drivers should look for postings to see if they’d break the law by using a phone while driving. Given the hectic nature of the first days of school, it’s not a good idea to be on the phone anyway, since the distraction could affect their ability to react to sudden changes in traffic or children running out into the street unexpectedly.
Safety should be an issue at all times, but especially during school hours. Creating the right habits will help ensure that both drivers and students make it home OK, and could also help school districts and their communities participate in a system that is being promoted to make children’s trip to and from school healthier and safer.
Nine states plus the District of Columbia were targeted as 2007 for early implementation of a project called Safe Routes to School, which encourages more children to walk or ride their bikes to school. The exercise these students get on their way to school could help combat the rising cases of childhood obesity and related illnesses such as type 2 diabetes.
The states, which include Texas, were chosen because of their high rates of childhood obesity, poverty, ethnic diversity and other issues. The number of states participating has doubled since 2007.
A nationwide coalition of cycling and pedestrian groups and nonprofit organizations are supporting the program with information and funding for public education and promotion.
With the high incidence of diabetes among Hispanics, any program that can help stave off its development is worth considering. It’s a community-wide effort, since participating cities help by establishing sidewalks, bike lanes and crosswalks near the schools.
One concern raised about the program, and a reason given for the decrease in the number of children who walk or pedal to school, is parents’ concern about their children being accosted by bullies or predators on their way to school.
Such concerns, fed by real reports of kidnappings and violence, have become an unfortunate part of our lives. Those who promote Safe Routes to School hope that if more children walk and ride together, they will develop safety in numbers.
Several Valley cities already are creating bicycle lanes and other infrastructure that can help students walk or bike to class. We hope the cities continue those efforts.
Physical activity is important to health, and healthy habits are best learned early, such as when children are still in school. We hope Valley cities will become known as Safe Routes to School.
In the meantime, let us all brace ourselves for a new semester of traffic woes around our neighborhood campuses.
