Back to School Safety Driving Tips

School has begun for most children in our area and that means sharing the road with school buses, bicycles, children walking, and parents rushing their kids to school. It’s never more important for drivers to slow down and pay attention than when kids are present, especially before and after school.

The Palatine Fire Department and the National Safety Council (NSC) offer these safety tips:

If you’re dropping off children at school

• Follow the school’s drop off procedures.
• Don’t double park; it blocks visibility for other children and vehicles.
• Don’t unload or load children across the street from the school.
• Carpool to reduce the number of vehicles at the school.

Sharing the road with young pedestrians
According to research by the NSC, most of the children who lose their lives in bus related incidents are 4 to 7 years old, and they are walking. They are hit by the bus, or by a motorist illegally passing a stopped bus. A few precautions go a long way toward keeping children safe:

• Don’t block crosswalks when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn.
• Always stop for a school patrol officer or crossing guard holding up a stop sign.
• Always use extreme caution to avoid striking pedestrians wherever they are, no matter who has the right of way.

Sharing the road with school buses
If you’re driving behind a bus, allow greater following distance than if you were driving behind a car. It will give you more time to stop once the yellow lights start flashing. It is illegal in all 50 states to pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children.

• Never pass a bus from behind – or from either direction if you’re on an undivided road – if it is stopped to load or unload children.
• If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, traffic must stop.
• Be alert; children often are unpredictable, and they tend to ignore hazards and take risks.

The Palatine Fire Department reminds all drivers to pay extra attention during this back to school season.

Village of Palatine Fire Department is Hiring!

The Village of Palatine Fire Department is currently seeking Firefighter/Paramedic applicants. Please visit here for more information on the position and to purchase the application.  

The deadline for the online application and submission of all supporting documentation is Friday, September 10, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. CST. Palatine Firefighter/Paramedic Application Information