School Parking Lot Safety
At the beginning of every school year, students, parents, teachers, and administrators collectively come together to ensure that the school staff keeps students safe inside the classroom walls. Schools across the country have thick manuals dedicated to emergency procedures ranging from what to do in the event of a fire, severe weather, and more. However, one thing that is sometimes overlooked is making sure that the school’s parking lot is safe.
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), an average of 50,000 crashes happen in parking lots and garages, causing more than 60,000 injuries and 500 deaths.
What Can Be Done?
One of the most difficult parts of raising children is watching them take the keys for the first time and drive away. This is an expected part of growing up yet creates valid stress for parents. Teenagers are inexperienced at driving, and they are showing up to a location full of other amateur drivers. Furthermore, they must keep their eyes peeled for the various modes of transportation that multitudes of students use. People arrive at school on foot, by bike, and on school buses. The vast array of vehicles coming to one specific location creates a recipe for car crashes.
To ensure your teen can stay as safe as possible, make sure they’re aware of how they should behave when behind the wheel. These tips include:
- Keep distractions to a minimum. Keep music volumes low, do not have loud or emotional conversations, and do not have your phone in sight until your car is parked.
- Never turn on auto-pilot. It is easy to fail to pay much attention when you are driving to the same destination day in and out, but the unexpected happens when you let your guard down.
- Follow the speed limits. Parking lots have much lower speed limits than regular streets, but this is for fundamental reasons. Most schools will have the speed limit posted, but if it is not, you should never be driving faster than 15mph on the school grounds.
Hold Your School Administrators Accountable
It is one of the primary responsibilities of school administrators, board representatives, and superintendents to foster the safest environment for kids to learn. If you notice that the parking lot lacks the safety equipment needed, speak up and let school officials know where they are falling short. Standard utilities that should always be found are:
- Speed bumps
- Clearly marked drop-off and pick-up zones
- Appropriate signage
- Traffic cones
- Maps that include the correct flow of traffic.
If you or your child was injured in a wreck due to your school system’s or another driver’s negligence, you might be entitled to compensation. You should never have to worry that your child is arriving in an unsafe environment. The attorneys at Benoit Law Firm, PLLC are here to help.
Call our office today at (877) 600-7212 to schedule your free consultation, and we will review the details of your case.