This is an interactive blog provided by the Woodland Police Department. The blog is aimed at educating the public about laws associated to driving, driver education, and pedestrian safety.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

SCHOOL AREA INFORMATION

One of the purposes of the Woodland Police Department Traffic Division is educating the public about driving laws. For the first week of the school year the Traffic Division handed out educational pamphlets to parents as they dropped off their children at school. In this article I will outline some of the information in the pamphlet. Some of this information has been given in previous columns but it is a good reminder as the school year gets underway.

Since all parents must stop at or around the schools while dropping off or picking up students it is important to be aware of no parking zones and places you cannot park. At the schools in Woodland the no parking areas are marked with red curbs or no parking signs. A vehicle is parked once it stops, whether occupied or not. Stopping along a red curb or where no parking signs are posted to drop a student is a violation of the law.

Stopping in crosswalks, marked or unmarked to drop students is unlawful. Unmarked crosswalks are generally located in residential areas at intersections. Every intersection technically has a crosswalk, even if it is not marked. Also be aware it is unlawful to park within 7.5 feet of a fire hydrant if the vehicle is not occupied by a licensed driver in the front seat who can immediately move the vehicle in case of an emergency.

Stopping where a vehicle blocks a driveway or the sidewalk is unlawful. In addition the driver of a vehicle is not allowed to block the driveway of their own residence.

One area where safety is of the utmost importance is when approaching a school bus which has either a displayed stop sign signal arm and flashing red lights or flashing red lights. Vehicle Code Section 22454 deals specifically with stopping for school busses. The stop sign signal arm and flashing red lights will be illuminated while the bus is actively picking up or dropping off students. The driver of a vehicle is required to stop immediately prior to passing the bus and shall not proceed until the bus has deactivated the flashing red lights or stop sign signal arm. This section is important because of the unpredictable actions of small children. Even under the direction of a bus driver it is possible for children to dart unexpectedly into traffic.

School zone speed limits when children are present outside of a gated area are 25 miles per hour. A safe practice for drivers is to always slow down to 25 miles per hour in school zones when it is possible for children to be present outside the schools gated area. Generally these times are morning, lunch time, and when school is excused. The school zone at Gibson Elementary school is an area where slowing down at those times is imperative to the safety of the students. Vehicles traveling on Gibson Road are well into the school zone before they can view the front of the school to see if children are present.

Even though most drivers in the morning are not taking children to school it is imperative that all drivers be aware that children are walking and riding bicycles to school in all areas of Woodland. Please be aware of the schools on your commute route and drive the speed limit. Also at this time of year driving into the morning sun can greatly diminish visibility. I have personally responded to several collisions where students were severely injured where the sun played a major factor in the collisions so please be aware of possible hazards.

With all that being said I must say that for the first two weeks of school I have seen a higher level of driver responsibility and awareness on the roads around the schools than in previous years. Thank you.
Thank you for taking the time to read this column. If you have any questions or comments you can contact me at
www.thetrafficstop.blogspot.com, you can also read past columns on the website.