{"id":26384,"date":"2018-09-04T07:38:19","date_gmt":"2018-09-04T11:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/?p=26384"},"modified":"2018-09-04T07:38:19","modified_gmt":"2018-09-04T11:38:19","slug":"sheriffs-office-offers-back-to-school-safety-tips-for-both-motorists-and-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/sheriffs-office-offers-back-to-school-safety-tips-for-both-motorists-and-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Sheriff&#8217;s Office Offers Back to School Safety Tips for Both Motorists and Students"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/school-bus.jpg?ssl=1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"17843\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/sheriffs-office-announces-operation-safe-stop-initiative-in-place-for-april-21\/school-bus\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/school-bus.jpg?fit=664%2C380&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"664,380\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"school bus\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/school-bus.jpg?fit=300%2C172&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/school-bus.jpg?fit=664%2C380&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-17843\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/school-bus.jpg?resize=404%2C231&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"404\" height=\"231\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/school-bus.jpg?w=664&amp;ssl=1 664w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/school-bus.jpg?resize=300%2C172&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/school-bus.jpg?resize=332%2C190&amp;ssl=1 332w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 404px) 100vw, 404px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>MAYVILLE &#8211; Thousands of students will be heading back to school this week and with that, Chautauqua County Sheriff <strong>Joseph Gerace<\/strong> is sending out a list of things to keep in mind to ensure safety for students at the bus stop as well as those walking to class.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Whether it\u2019s preschool, grade school, high school or college, a new school year means increased pedestrian and vehicular traffic in neighborhoods and around schools throughout the county,&#8221; Gerace said via a media release from the Sheriff&#8217;s Office. &#8220;The changing season also brings in increasingly shorter days, less daylight and reduced visibility.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Gerace reminds commuters, parents, students, pedestrians and bicyclists alike to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stop for any school bus that has its lights and \u201cstop arm\u201d activated to load and unload children. Drivers must stop in both directions, unless separated from the bus by a median.<\/li>\n<li>Be alert when around school zones or buses<\/li>\n<li>Build extra time into your schedule to accommodate the increased congestion and delay surrounding school start and end times.<\/li>\n<li>Familiarize yourself, and your children, with laws and safety tips related to school buses, school zones, crosswalks and signals.<\/li>\n<li>Become familiar with specific rules that pertain to young drivers if you are, or have, a teenage driver in your household.<\/li>\n<li>Pay attention to your surroundings, on streets or sidewalks; do not assume others see you or that you have the right-of-way.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Additional back-to-school safety tips from the <strong>National Highway Traffic Safety Administration<\/strong> (NHTSA) include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>School Bus\n<ul>\n<li>It is illegal to pass a stopped school bus that is loading or unloading children.<\/li>\n<li>Buses are the safest mode of transportation for children; however, kids need to be aware of the bus \u201cdanger zone\u201d: blind spots around the bus where the driver may not be able to see them. Children should maintain a distance of 10 feet away from the front, sides and rear of the bus. (In average kid-speak, that\u2019s five giant steps away from any side of the bus.)<\/li>\n<li>Children should wait until the bus stops completely and the driver signals that it is ok to board; if crossing the street is necessary, wait for the driver to indicate it is safe to cross.<\/li>\n<li>Check out Tips to Increase Your Child\u2019s School Bus Safety.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Motorist\n<ul>\n<li>Obey all signs, signals and crossing guards\/police officers in school zones.<\/li>\n<li>Slow down and be alert for children, walking or biking; they may be difficult to see and may appear suddenly and unexpectedly.<\/li>\n<li>In low light and bad weather, pay extra attention around bus stops and school zones.<\/li>\n<li>Do not block crosswalks or intersections; look ahead to determine whether you can get completely across the intersection to avoid \u201cgetting stuck\u201d in it or on a crosswalk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Teen Motorist\n<ul>\n<li>To increase safety, NHTSA promotes the \u201c5 to Drive\u201d rules: NO cell phones, NO extra passengers, NO speeding, NO alcohol and ALWAYS buckle up.<\/li>\n<li>Leave extra distance between you and the car in front of you, especially when in school traffic; anticipate frequent and unpredictable stop-and-go traffic; and look ahead for pedestrians and to avoid blocking intersections and crosswalks.<\/li>\n<li>Do not be distracted by electronic devices or passengers; be focused on the roadway, what\u2019s ahead and what\u2019s around you.<\/li>\n<li>Parents: Talk to your kids about traffic safety, even before they reach driving age, to get them thinking about it; set ground rules for your inexperienced driver and the consequences of breaking them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>On Foot\n<ul>\n<li>Children should walk with a responsible adult and in a group.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure you walk on the sidewalk; if there is not one, walk facing traffic.<\/li>\n<li>Pay attention to the road and where you are going; do not play with, push or shove others.<\/li>\n<li>Wear brightly-colored clothing to be more visible to drivers.<\/li>\n<li>Cross at crosswalks, street corners or intersections; obey all signals and traffic rules when crossing. Look left-right-left for vehicles and bicycles and ensure the roadway is clear and safe before you step into the roadway.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>By Bicycle\n<ul>\n<li>Use the proper gear. Wear a helmet that fits properly and buckle it on every ride; ensure bicycles are appropriately sized to match your child\u2019s size.<\/li>\n<li>Teach your child a bicycle is a vehicle, not a toy.<\/li>\n<li>Wear brightly-colored and reflective clothing to increase visibility.<\/li>\n<li>Utilize the sidewalk whenever possible; if you ride on the roadway, ride in the same direction as traffic.<\/li>\n<li>When riding on the sidewalk, you are expected to follow pedestrian traffic laws; when on the roadway, you are expected to follow motor vehicle traffic laws.<\/li>\n<li>Practice reduces the likelihood of falls or crashes. In a safe place, help your child build and strengthen basic skills, such as starting and stopping, looking over their shoulders and signaling to vehicles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8220;Everyone has a responsibility to maintain safety on the county\u2019s roadways and around school zones,&#8221; the media release concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MAYVILLE &#8211; Thousands of students will be heading back to school this week and with that, Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace is sending out a list of things to keep in mind to ensure safety for students at the bus stop as well as those walking to class. &#8220;Whether it\u2019s preschool, grade school, high school [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":17843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[4],"tags":[8677,443,1242,4754],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/school-bus.jpg?fit=664%2C380&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3YlJ4-6Ry","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26384"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26384"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26385,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26384\/revisions\/26385"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}