LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT
Valley Traffic Division
Traffic Safety Awareness Near Schools
After vacation children return to school and classes resume. Each year, in the City of Los Angeles, children are severely injured while being picked up or dropped off from school.
Drivers and parents must drive responsibly and follow these recommendations:
• Prepare the night before for the following school day. Have backpacks, clothing, and other items ready for the next school day.
• Regrettably, children are injured or killed when parents, or neighbors, back out of driveways. Have all children accounted for and safe before moving the family car.
• ALLOW EXTRA TIME: Parents who arrive late to school with their children, or at the last minute, tend to make poor choices that compromise the children’s safety.
• REDUCE SPEED: The maximum speed near a school is 25 miles per hour. However, slower speeds are recommended when children are present. Speed is the number one cause of collisions around schools.
• OBEY STOP SIGNS: Complete stops, at posted stop signs, will allow drivers to check for small children. Drivers of high-profile vehicles must be especially observant and remember that the early morning sun can add to the already existing blind spots.
• NO DOUBLE PARKING: Double parking hinders other traffic, causes congestion and creates an unsafe environment for children crossing the streets as they walk to school. Never allow a child to disembark a vehicle that is double parked.
• AVOID U-TURNS: It is unsafe to make a U-turn during drop-off and pick-up times. U-turns are permitted at an intersection only when safe to do so.
It is important to understand a child’s limitation in understanding traffic laws. Children often:
• Cannot easily judge a car’s speed and distance.
• Assume that if they can see a car, its driver must be able to see them.
• Believe that cars can stop instantly.
• May be impatient and impulsive.
• Have trouble recognizing and reacting to danger.
