As many students in Utah schools near the end of their first week back, district officials in Ogden are reminding drivers to honor school zones and exercise caution around students.
After seeing some irresponsible driving speeds early this week Ogden District spokesperson Jer Bates released a statement encouraging safety around schools.
“Everyone is in such a hurry to get where they’re going and everyone has so many distractions," says Bates.
Bates says with the transition from summer to the school year there’s a tendency to forget what safe driving looks like. He says it’s common to hear feedback from school administrators of drivers pulling too far into a crosswalk, exceeding speed limits or rolling through stop signs. And they’re often on their phones.
“The structures, the rules, the laws are all in place but it ultimately comes down to the drivers to follow those rules that are in place to ensure child safety," Bates says.
According to the organization Safe Kids Worldwide, pedestrian accidents are the fifth leading cause of injury-related death in the United States for children ages 5 to 19.
Rather than waiting to respond to a tragedy, Bates says this is an area where drivers across the state need to be more proactive. And remember that school zone signs are not suggestions, they’re the law.
