Back to School Safety Tips

As students prepare to return to school, take a moment to review these tips and reminders to help ensure a safe school year.

Slow down in school zones.
Watch for children crossing streets and for directions from crossing guards.
Put your phone away.
Be extra vigilant on streets adjacent to schools, especially at the beginning and end of school days.
Watch for children darting out from between parked cars.
Put your phone away - state law bans the non-hands-free use of cell phones and texting while driving.
Drop off and pick up in designated areas.
Stop for buses loading or unloading students.
Watch for warning signs and signals.

For more school safety tips, visit nhtsa.gov and nsc.org.

Stopping For a School Bus & Other Tips

If you are driving, remember these simple rules:

Yellow flashing lights on a school bus mean slow down — don’t speed up — because the bus is preparing to stop. There are likely students waiting to get on the bus or parents waiting nearby to pick up children.
Red flashing lights mean stop — and wait at least 20 feet behind the bus — because children are getting on or off the school bus. Stay stopped until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving.
Even when lights aren’t flashing, watch for children, particularly in the morning or mid-afternoon, around school arrival and dismissal times. Be alert as you back out of a driveway, or drive through a neighborhood, school zone or bus stop.

Also, be advised that the speed limit in school zones is 20 MPH, (which includes Main Street).

School Bus Safety graphic depicting when to stop or yield for a school bus

Always cross streets at corners where there are traffic signals and designated crosswalks.
Make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
Always walk on the sidewalk.
Walk facing traffic if there are no sidewalks.
Always look left, right, and left again before crossing the street.
Never run out into the street or cross between parked cars.
Bike riders, wear your helmet and walk your bike across crosswalks.