Many of you no longer have to think about the one thing that can make my blood pressure rise every morning around 8 am and 3:25 each afternoon in inclement weather. Yes, my kids are still in school, year around school does not dismiss for summer for tracks B, C, and D until July 1st.
I do know that all of you may experience my stressor at some point unless your kids are bused. Any parent with a child within walking distance to the school knows exactly what I am talking about--vehicle drop off at an elementary.
It's down right scary at the worst times, aka winter ice and snow. It's a game of nerves the rest of the time. There are vehicles pulling at the curb in illegal directions, pulling next to red curbs, going out entrances, turning left where a signs clearly designate no left turns. There are cars on both sides of the street in front of the school and crosswalk, making maneuvering tricky as they pull in and out. Plus, add the constant fear that some small child may fall or dart out.
I could continue to list the horrors but here's my main point. The next time you go to drop off your child, please consider a couple of points.
1. We are all doing the exact same thing. We all don't want to be there. We are making sure our children get back and forth to school safely. So, that extra 2 minutes you might save by squeezing next to the curb and a somewhat awkward angle, so you don't have to follow the school drop off zone, makes it harder for the rest of us to get by safely. Every time you pull up next to the red curb and make the crossing guard difficult to see, you are endangering all of our children. The red curb is there for a reason. The entrance sign and exit sign are meant to keep the flow going one way to keep our kids safe, not suggestions. Every time you make an exception to let your kid out, you slow down the rest of us and let everyone else know that "You are more important" than all the rest of us doing the exact same thing.
2. Schools make traffic plans for a reason. Very smart people review the plans to try to insure the maximum safety and flow. Does this mean it is as fast and convenient as each person needs? No, of course not. But taking extra time and actually reading the suggested drop off the schools provide each year can make all of our kids more safe. It does mean that you might be waiting extra time and it might take longer. I personally prefer to take the longer ways to follow the rules to show my kids how to be safe. If they are tardy, I don't blame it on traffic. I blame it on my own families inability to leave at the appropriate time.
3. Our kids are watching. My kids can point out more traffic violations in elementary school than I ever paid attention to as a kid. I make them follow the rules set by the school and use crosswalks, even if it means added extra time to walking home or doubling back. Kids are not dumb. As adults, if we constantly make exceptions, they will see that it can be done and you can't be there every second to guarantee the exception they make is a low risk or high one.
PLEASE, if you just stop to consider every other car holds a tiny person just like yours, I think that common courtesy and patience would guarantee us all a safer experience. It may not be fast, but it will be safe.
p.s. this soapbox I stood on for this post has been building since 2007. I'm sure it made me more preachy than needed. But please just sift through the diatribe and realize we all need courtesy and patience.
