Be careful driving in school traffic

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, August 8, 2017

August begins one of the most dangerous seasons in our community — school traffic.

Local schools either have started or will start soon all across the area.

That means significant danger exists for motorists and, most importantly, for students.

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Motorists will see more congestion along certain routes in the mornings and afternoons.

We’re not really accustomed to high traffic in our community, fortunately.

But school traffic combined with traffic delays with the ongoing work on the westbound span of the Mississippi River Bridge could lead to doubly slow commute times for all of us.

Fortunately, as adults, we can control this. We can get up earlier, take our time and drive safely and defensively.

The bigger danger will be to the little ones who will be out and about and near roadways while they either walk to school or get on and off school buses.

Combine those challenges with our society’s habit of texting while driving and it’s a recipe for tragedy.

Tragedy can be avoided with some planning and some basic, common sense.

Take your time, slow down and realize small children can accidentally or carelessly dart into traffic in a split second.

We as adults must be watchful, must be vigilant and must be cautious.

With a little care and patience our community can avoid a frightening accident this school year.