Back to School: Ross Police Offer Safety Tips for Adults and Children

- Information provided by Michael J. Thomas, crime watch coordinator, Ross Police Department.

With school starting on Aug. 27 in the North Hills School District,  I thought going over some safety issues related to school was appropriate.  Hope this may be of some help.

Some of the tips are for you the adult (parent).

Some of the tips are for you to go over with your children.

Walking to School

• Walk to school in a group and if possible have a responsible adult with you.

• Always walk on the sidewalk if one is available.

• If no sidewalk is available, walk facing the traffic.

• The safest place to cross is at a street corner or intersection. Do not cross mid-block.

• Children 10-years-old or younger need to cross the street with an adult. They should not cross by themselves.

• Before stepping off the curb to cross the street, stop and look all ways to see if cars are coming.

• When no cars are coming, it is safe to cross. Look left-right-left while crossing. Hold an adult’s hand.

• Walk, don’t run. This gives drivers time to see you before you enter the roadway. Running also makes it more likely to fall in the street.

• Don’t enter the road from in front of, or between parked cars. The driver of the car coming down the street will not be able to see you.

Riding a Bicycle to School 

• Always wear your helmet when riding a bicycle.

• Make sure that the helmet fits correctly. The helmet should fit low on your forehead so that two fingers fit between it and your eyebrows. Another way to check is to put the helmet on your head and look up. If you can’t see your helmet, it is too far back.

• To ride safely, know the rules of the road. If you don’t, then you should not ride in traffic.

• Ride on the right side of the road or trail in a single file line in the same direction as other vehicles and come to a complete stop before crossing streets.

• Wait for a driver’s signal before crossing the street.

• When riding a bicycle, wear bright colors during the day and right before the sun rises or sets.

• Riding at night can be dangerous. Equipment for night riding should include a white light on the front of your bicycle and a red reflector on the back. You also can purchase lights and reflective materials to put on your shoes, helmet and clothing.

• Practice makes for more skilled bicycle riding. The more skilled you are at riding, the less likely you will be to crash. Practice riding skills in an empty parking lot or a place with no traffic. Practice such things as riding in a straight line, looking over your shoulder, signaling with your hands and starting and stopping.

Riding the Bus to School

Getting on the school bus

• When the bus arrives, stand at least three steps or preferably six feet away from the curb.

• If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk on the sidewalk or along the side of the road until you are five steps or ten feet ahead of the bus. Then you can cross the street.

• Be sure the bus driver can see you and you can see the bus driver.

• Never walk behind the bus.

• If you drop something near the bus, tell the bus driver. Never try to pick it up first because the driver may not be able to see you.

Behavior on the bus

• When on the bus, find a seat and sit down. Loud talking or other noise can distract the bus driver.

• Never put head, arms or hands out of the window.

• Keep aisles clear—books or bags are tripping hazards and can block the way in an emergency.

• At your stop, wait for the bus to stop completely before getting up from your seat, then walk to the front door and exit, using the handrail.

Getting off the school bus

• If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk at least ten feet ahead of the bus along the side of the road until you can turn around see the driver.

• Make sure the bus driver can see you.

• Wait for a signal from the driver before beginning to cross.

• When the driver signals, walk across the road keeping an eye out for sudden traffic changes.

• Do not cross the center line of the road until the driver has signaled that it is safe for you to begin walking.

• Stay away from the wheels of the bus at all times.

Sharing the Road Safely with School Buses

School buses are one of the safest forms of transportation on the road today. 

In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, riding a bus to school is 13 times safer than riding in a passenger vehicle and 10 times safer than walking to school. 

The reality of school bus safety is that more children are hurt outside the bus than inside as passengers. 

Most of the children who lose their lives in bus-related crashes are pedestrians, 4 to 7 years old, who are hit by the bus or by motorists illegally passing a stopped school bus. 

For this reason, it is necessary to know the proper laws and procedures for sharing the road safely with school buses:

• All 50 states have a law making it illegal to pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children.

• School buses use yellow flashing lights to alert motorists that they are preparing to stop to load or unload children.

• Red flashing lights and an extended stop sign arm signals to motorists that the bus is stopped and children are getting on or off the bus.

• All 50 states require that traffic in both directions stop on undivided roadways when students are entering or exiting a school bus.

• While state laws vary on what is required on a divided roadway, in all cases, traffic behind the school bus traveling in the same direction must stop.

• The area 10 feet around a school bus is where children are in the most danger of being hit. Stop your car far enough from the bus to allow children the necessary space to safely enter and exit the bus.

• Be alert. Children are unpredictable. Children walking to or from their bus are usually very comfortable with their surroundings. This makes them more likely to take risks, ignore hazards or fail to look both ways when crossing the street.

• Never pass a school bus on the right. It is illegal and could have tragic consequences.

School bus law

Title 75 – VEHICLES    
3345 - Meeting or overtaking schoolbus.

§ 3345.  Meeting or overtaking schoolbus.

(a)  Duty of approaching driver when red signals are flashing.

Except as provided in subsection (g), the driver of a vehicle meeting or overtaking any school bus stopped on a highway or trafficway shall stop at least ten feet before reaching the school bus when the red signal lights on the school bus are flashing and the side stop signal arms are activated under section 4552(b. 1) (relating to general requirements for school buses). The driver shall not proceed until the flashing red signal lights are no longer actuated. In no event shall a driver of a vehicle resume motion of the vehicle until the school children who may have alighted from the schoolbus have reached a place of safety. The driver of a vehicle approaching an intersection at which aschool bus is stopped shall stop his vehicle at that intersection until the flashing red signal lights are no longer actuated.

(a.1)  Reports by school bus operators.--

(1)  The operator of a school bus who observes a violation of subsection (a) may prepare a signed, written report which indicates that a violation has occurred. To the extent possible, the report shall include the following information:

(i)  Information, if any, pertaining to the identity of the alleged violator.

(ii)  The license number and color of the vehicle involved in the violation.

(iii)  The time and approximate location at which the violation occurred.

(iv)  Identification of the vehicle as an automobile, station wagon, motor truck, motor bus, motorcycle or other type of vehicle.

(2)  Within 48 hours after the violation occurs, the school bus operator shall deliver a copy of the reportto a police officer having authority to exercise police power in the area where the violation occurred.  If the police officer believes that the report establishes a sufficient basis for the issuance of a citation, the officer shall file a citation and the report with the issuing authority. If the issuing authority determines that the report and citation establish a sufficient basis for the issuance of a summons, a summons shall be issued in accordance with general rules governing the institution of proceedings in summary traffic offense cases. The issuing authority shall send the defendant a copy of the citation, together with a statement that it was filed by the police officer named in the citation on the basis of information received.

(3)  A person may institute a proceeding pursuant to this subsection or in accordance with any means authorized by the Rules of Criminal Procedure.

(b)  Duty of approaching driver when amber signals are flashing. 

The driver of a vehicle meeting or overtaking any school bus shall proceed past the school bus with caution and shall be prepared to stop when the amber signal lights are flashing.

(c)  Use of red signals.--The red visual signals shall be actuated by the driver of every school bus whenever the vehicle is stopped on a highway or trafficway for the purpose of receiving or dischargingschool children, except as provided in subsections (e) and (f). The signals shall not be terminated until the school children who may have alighted from the school bus have reached a place of safety or until boarding school children have completed boarding the bus.

(d)  Use of amber signals.--The amber visual signals shall be actuated by the driver of every schoolbus not more than 300 feet nor less than 150 feet prior to making a stop for the purpose of receiving or discharging school   children and shall remain in operation until the red visual signals are actuated. Amber signals shall not be used unless the red visual signals are to be actuated immediately following.

(e)  Limitations on use of signals.--The visual signals required in the regulations shall not be actuated on streets in urban districts designated by the department or local authorities, at intersections or other places where traffic is controlled by uniformed police officers or appropriately attired persons authorizedto direct, control or regulate traffic, or in school bus loading areas designated by the department or local authorities when the bus is entirely off the roadway.

(f)  Operation for non-school purposes.--When a school bus is being operated upon a highway for purposes other than the actual transportation of school children to or from school or in connection withschool activities, all markings indicating "SCHOOL BUS" shall be covered or concealed. During such operation, the flashing visual signals shall not be actuated.

(f.1)  Use of school buses for transportation of disabled persons.--Whenever a school bus is being used upon a highway or trafficway for the transportation of disabled persons exclusively and the schoolbus is equipped with red signal lights, the driver of the school bus may actuate the signal lights in the same manner as set forth in this section regarding the transportation of school children. The driver of a vehicle approaching the school bus shall have the same duties regarding stopping, passing and overtaking as he does with respect to a school bus carrying school children.

(g)  Exceptions from stopping requirements.--The driver of a vehicle upon a highway or trafficway with separate roadways need not stop upon meeting or passing a school bus with actuated red signal lights which is on a different roadway.

(h)  Loading zones for school children.--Every school district transporting school children by schoolbus shall establish and maintain school bus loading zones at or near all schools to or from which schoolchildren are transported and shall establish school bus loading zones along the highways and trafficways traversed by school buses in accordance with regulations promulgated by the department.

(i)  Mandatory use of loading zones.--Whenever school bus loading zones have been established at or near a school or along a highway or trafficway, it is unlawful for a school bus operator to stop the bus topick up or discharge school children at any location other than at the loading zones. A list of  approved loading zones for the route of the bus shall be carried by the operator.

(j)  Penalty.--A person who violates subsection (a) or (f.1) commits a summary offense and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of $250.

** NOTE:  This is a 5 point offense and carries a mandatory 60 day license suspension also.

Sharing the Road Safely with Child Pedestrians

All drivers need to recognize the special safety needs of pedestrians, especially those that are children. 

Young, elderly, disabled and intoxicated pedestrians are the most frequent victims in auto-pedestrian collisions. 

Generally, pedestrians have the right-of-way at all intersections; however, regardless of the rules of the road or right-of-way, you as a driver are obligated to exercise great care and extreme caution to avoid striking pedestrians.

• Drivers should not block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn. Do not stop with a portion of your vehicle over the crosswalk. Blocking the crosswalk forces pedestrians to go around your vehicle and puts them in a dangerous situation.

• In a school zone when a warning flasher or flashers are blinking, you must stop to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a marked crosswalk or at an intersection with no marked crosswalk.

• Always stop when directed to do so by a school patrol sign,school patrol officer or designated crossing guard.

• Children are the least predictable pedestrians and the most difficult to see. Take extra care to look out for children not only in school zones, but also in residential areas, playgrounds and parks.

• Don’t honk your horn, rev your engine or do anything to rush or scare a pedestrian in front of your car, even if you have the legal right-of-way.

• The speed limit in school zones is 15 miles per hour.

Driving to school 

Pennsylvania’s graduated license law

The law became enforceable on December 24, 2011. IT IS IN EFFECT NOW

Major parts of the law are:

• Drivers age 16 and 17 are junior operators – A junior license automatically becomes a regular license at age 18.

• Junior operators are not permitted to operate a vehicle between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. 

§  To and from work.  Must have affidavit from employer

§  To and from Volunteer Fire Department activity that is authorized by the Fire Chief.  Must have affidavit or certificate signed by Fire Chief

For 6 months after the junior operators (16-17 year old) license is issued, the operator may have only one passenger under the age of 18.

o    Exceptions:

§ The passengers are IMMEDIATE family members

§ Parent or legal guardian is in the vehicle

After the 6th month a junior operator (16-17 year old) may have only three passengers under the age of 18.

o  Exceptions:

§ The passengers are IMMEDIATE family

§ Parent or legal guardian is in the vehicle

• If a junior operator (16-17 year old) was involved in a reportable accident, which he/she is partially or fully responsible, the junior operator may NOT transport more than one passenger who is under the age of 18, even if the six months where the junior operator has had his/her license has past.  He/she may not transport more than one passenger under the age of 18, until he/she obtains a regular license at age 18.

• If a junior operator is convicted of a traffic offense in the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code (guilty of a ticket) the junior operator may NOT transport more than one passenger who is under the age of 18, even if the six months where the junior operator has had his/her license has past.  He/she may not transport more than one passenger under the age of 18, until he/she obtains a regular license at age 18.

o    Exceptions:

§ The passengers are IMMEDIATE family members

§ Parent or legal guardian is in the vehicle

Immediate family is Brother – Sister – Step brother – Step sister and does include adopted and foster children residing in the same household as the junior operator.

• If a junior operator (16-17 year old) was involved in a reportable accident, which he/she is partially or fully responsible, the junior operator may have his operator license suspended by the Department of Transportation (Penn DOT) for 90 days or until age 18 whichever comes first.

• If a junior operator is convicted of a traffic offense in the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code (guilty of a ticket)   the junior operator may have his operator license suspended by the Department of Transportation (Penn DOT) for 90 days or until age 18 whichever comes first.

This action is subject to the will of PennDOT.  It states they may suspend. A license suspension is not automatic.

Penalty for violation of these sections are a $ 25.00 fine plus costs for a total fine of $ 112.00.

Also remember a junior operator can be suspended for 90 days if convicted.

In other words, new drivers have limitations, especially on how many passengers can be in the car.  The new driver cannot transport the entire neighborhood to school. See limitations above.

Stranger danger

• A stranger is a person you don’t know

• Never approach a stranger.

• If a stranger is standing on the sidewalk, cross the street.

• If the stranger also crosses the street go to a place of safety immediately.  If there are none in the area go to the closest house, knock on the door and tell the person you need help.

• If the stranger begins to run after you:

§  RUN as fast as you can 

§  YELL as loud as you can. SCREAM.  Yell for help while running.

• If a strange car approaches you:

o    Never go near the car.  Back away from it.

o    Do not go to the car if asked to, even if the stranger seems nice, or offers money.

• If the stranger parks the car and gets out:

§  RUN as fast as you can 

§  YELL as loud as you can. SCREAM.  Yell for help while running.

• If a stranger is able to grab you, you need to:

o    Scream

o    Yell for help

o    Fight

o    Kick

o    Scratch

o    Bite

o    Try everything in your power to escape 

• THERE IS SAFETY IN NUMBERS

o    Walk to the bus stop or to school in a group

o    If possible have an adult walk with the children to the bus stop or school

o    Have an adult monitor at all school bus stops. 

 Ross Police extend this reminder: 

All of our schedules are busy.  We need to make time to be sure our kids are safe.

There would be nothing in the world worse that could happen to us if our child was abducted.
We, the adults need to be responsible and keep our kids safe. 

Sometimes this takes time from out busy schedules, it is not an option, it is a requirement.

We are responsible. We have to commit to keeping our children safe. 

If anything suspicious in nature occurs, is seen or heard, if there is ANY incident that can endanger our children call the Police immediately.  Remember our number is 9-1-1.  

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