As schools reopen, the morning commute changes almost overnight. School buses return to neighborhood streets, parents form drop-off lines, teenage drivers head to class, and children begin walking or riding bicycles near roads that may have been relatively quiet all summer. This is the time for every driver to reset his or her habits. A school zone is no place to make up the three minutes you lost looking for your keys.
The numbers show why the extra caution matters. Safe Kids Worldwide, using federal injury data, reports that 377 children and teenagers ages 0 through 19 were killed and another 12,911 were injured as pedestrians in motor vehicle crashes during 2023. Older children are not immune: The fatal pedestrian injury rate for ages 12 through 19 was more than three times the rate for children 11 and younger. That age group is more independent, but independence does not always come with perfect judgment—especially when phones, headphones, friends and traffic all compete for attention.
Speed is one of the most important factors a driver can control. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says higher vehicle speeds increase both the likelihood and severity of a pedestrian crash, while drivers are less likely to yield at crosswalks as speeds rise. Obey the reduced limit whenever a school-zone sign or flashing beacon is active, but do not treat the posted number as a target when children are near the roadway. Cover the brake, scan between parked vehicles and be ready for a child to change direction without warning.
Drop-off and pickup areas deserve the same attention. A large Safe Kids observational study of approximately 56,000 drivers found that nearly one in three displayed an unsafe drop-off or pickup behavior, such as double parking, blocking a crosswalk or stopping on the wrong side of the street. About one in 10 was distracted by a mobile device. Follow the school’s designated traffic pattern, unload children only at the proper curb and never wave a child across traffic when another driver may not see him or her. The text, email and breakfast burrito can all wait.
School buses create another critical danger point. NHTSA reports that school buses are among the safest vehicles on the road, but children face greater risk while approaching or leaving them. According to NHTSA's latest Traffic Safety Facts report released in July, from 2015 to 2024, 1,069 people died in 962 school-transportation-related crashes; 204 (19%) were school-age children (18 and under) and of those, 77 were pedestrians. Yellow flashing lights mean the bus is preparing to stop. Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm mean drivers must stop and remain stopped until the signals are withdrawn and the bus begins moving. State rules can differ for traffic approaching from the opposite direction on divided roads, so every motorist should know the law where he or she drives.
Finally, watch beyond the marked school zone. Children may be walking from homes, crossing near bus stops or riding bicycles several blocks away from campus. Do not block crosswalks, pass a vehicle stopped for a pedestrian or back from a driveway without checking carefully in every direction. When school begins, the safest assumption is that a child may do something unexpected. The adult behind the wheel must be the one who is prepared.