Krekorian, Galatzan and Police Warn Drivers to Slow Down Around Schools

As the Los Angeles Police, school and government officials gathered in front of Riverside Drive Elementary School to talk about slowing down around school zones, cars whizzed by at 40 mph, some honking, and some suddenly slowing down to see what's going on.

That's exactly what Los Angeles Police Captain William D. Sutton warned about in his 7:30 morning press conference in front of the school, which was starting later than usual as a half-time furlough day, like some of the other pubic schools were doing on Monday.

Nevertheless, parents were still bringing children to school, and the warnings seemed lost drivers speeding past.

"Every year in the San Fernando Valley, there are 25 to 30 collisions around schools that cause serious injury to students and their children," Sutton said. "There are simple things you can do, like simply slow down, don't double park, and stop at the STOP signs."

The local district's Los Angeles Unified School District board member Tamar Galatzan brought her two elementary school-aged boys to the press conference on their first day of school. She said, "More than half a million children in the Los Angeles area are going to school for the first time today, and we want to make it safe."

She said that when she volunteers at her school for drop-off—a procedure that is set up at most elementary schools—parents should take advantage of the people offering to help, and not create more problems.

"When I have volunteered, I have seen parents jaywalking with their kids or parking in the drop-off area, or making U-turns," Galatzan said. "Most elementary schools have a drop-off system for our children, and help them get out safely and quickly. Please use that at your school."

Krekorian said simple procedures like allowing for extra time, not backing into driveways and not stressing about arriving late can help keep things safe.

"This is a day of new opportunities and people are excited," the councilman said. He made an analogy to the remembrance over the weekend of the nearly 3,000 lives lost during the 9-11 terrorist attacks. "Every month, that is as many people die in traffic accidents."

After the press conference, Sutton and Krekorian recalled personal stories of tragic traffic accidents they knew about that occurred near schools. Sutton said not far from where they were having the press conference a few years ago, a high school student was killed while driving too fast, and hit a carpooling mom with a bunch of elementary school students, one who was ejected from the car.

Krekorian said he knew of a case not far away in Glendale where an 11-year-old girl was killed just after her parents dropped her off at school.

"Another mother, who wasn't driving too fast, just didn't see the girl and she was struck and killed," Krekorian said. "I'm hoping we just remind people to slow down when they're near a school."

And as he spoke, a car screeched in the fast traffic along Riverside Drive.