Safety: school year starts

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Thomas C. Morone
  • 310th Airlift Squadron
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The start of school is upon us, and there are a few topics I'd like to share from a safety standpoint.

If you have a teenager that drives to school, here are a few facts to remember. Knowing the risks such as: fatigue, night driving, inexperience, distractions (cell phones), drugs and alcohol can help prevent accidents before they happen. Understand these, share them with your children and you can possibly prevent them from becoming a statistic.

Sixteen-year-olds have a higher crash rate than drivers of any other age. They are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle accident than the average of all drivers. Fifty eight percent of teen drivers crash the car in their first year of driving and 80 percent in the first three years.

The majority (58 percent) of young people aged 16 to 20 involved in fatal crashes were unbuckled.

For us adult drivers things are equally important. Now is an especially important time to double check crosswalks. Late students can magically appear out of nowhere and dart across lanes of traffic trying to make it on time to class. Pay attention to school zones, most schools in the Tampa area have posted school zones with flashing lights to alert you of children and a lower speed limit. Finally, pay special attention to school buses. More bus passengers are killed each year getting on or off a bus than actually riding in it. Also remember that per traffic laws, we are required to stop traffic on both sides when a school bus stops and its brake lights flash.

Moral of the story is to plan ahead, if you know traffic is going to be bad in your area or you must transit a school zone please build that time into your schedule. Getting where you need to safely is always a better option than speeding and endangering lives.

If protecting the youth of our city is not enough, the law will hold you financially responsible. Here on base at Tinker elementary, security forces patrols have ramped up. Fines will double in school zones for speeding and cell phone usage especially. It has also been noted that there will be no warnings given, only citations.