With Summer Here, Watch Out for Children at Play

Summer is here, which means that the days are longer and children are more likely to be playing outside. As drivers, it’s important for us to stay awake, alert and ready to take action if a child wanders into the road. However, parents should also teach their children to be cautious of moving vehicles, especially because many children are fascinated with trucks. Educating children about the dangers of the road will help them make better decisions and treat moving vehicles with the respect they require.

Driver safety tips

As a trucking company in Minnesota, we take safety seriously. Here are our best tips for keeping everyone safe:

• Always be on alert: The best thing you can do to protect children is to stay alert and focused. Watch the road to make sure that if children dart out in front of your vehicle, you’ll see them in time to take action. Follow the speed limits, and give yourself enough time that you’re not in a hurry.
• Take school zones seriously: School zones have special speed limits because there are high concentrations of children in the area. As we know, children don’t always make the best decisions, so we have to be extra careful when they’re around. Follow the speed limits and keep your eyes peeled for errant kids wandering into the road. Even in the summertime, children attend school—don’t relax your standards assuming they’re all at home.
• Don’t pass buses from behind: You already know that there are plenty of rules regarding school zones, school buses and other child-related hazards. Children are often hit by cars who ignore the bus rules and decide to pass anyway.
• Yield to pedestrians: Whether a crossing guard, a family or a few children walking together, yielding to pedestrians is the smartest solution. It may take a few extra seconds, but it saves lives.
• Drive cautiously in residential areas and near parks: In summer, parks and residential areas are full of children playing, which means that you should exercise additional caution when driving through these spaces.

Safety tips for parents and children

It’s not just drivers who need to be safe. Here are tips for parents and children, too:

• Cars can’t see you: Teach your children that they should never assume that cars can see them—never dart out in front of traffic, and be sure that the vehicles are going to stop before you start crossing the street.
• Never play in a parking lot: Playing in, on and around cars is a bad idea, especially in a parking lot. Many drivers won’t see children behind their cars, given that children are usually shorter than most adults.
• Recognize when a car is backing up: Teach your kids that white lights on the back of a vehicle mean it’s backing up, and that they should stay away from parked cars whenever possible.
• Wear a helmet: When your kids are riding a bike, skateboarding or using a scooter, they should always wear a helmet.

Following these safety tips will help keep our children safe all summer long—and when you need a safe trucking company in Minnesota, call K-Way Express, Inc.