School's starting, keep children safe

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Christopher Brown
  • 49th Fighter Wing safety office
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  On Aug. 14 the children of Holloman and the surrounding community will begin another school year. As they walk out our door, we kiss them goodbye and assume we will see them later that day.

But what if we don't? What if they are involved in a mishap? No parent wants to think their child might be injured, or worse, especially when it's so easily preventable.

What can we do as Airman, parents, and members of the Holloman community do to keep our children safe?

For starters, have you educated your child on traffic and pedestrian laws? Do you know your children's behavior and habits when it comes to walking or riding their bike to school? What route will they take to school? What are the potential hazard areas with that route and are there blind spots to vehicles? Is their route different from last year due to construction in housing? Do they have a bicycle helmet? Do they look both ways when crossing a road? Are they mindful of vehicles and realize that not all vehicles are going to stop for them? Educating our children so they understand the risks involved with walking, riding a bike or a bus to school is essential to preventing unnecessary injury to our children.

On another note, are you prepared for the beginning of school? Have you thought about your morning routine to get yourself and the kids out the door in the morning? Realize that everyone has to adapt to the school "battle rhythm," whether you have kids or not.

Give yourself more time in the morning, try shifting your evening and morning routine to 30 minutes earlier for the first week of school, this will give yourself more time to deal with that school bus you didn't anticipate while driving to work and will reduce the temptation to speed in a school zone.

Observe other individuals behavior while they are driving in your neighborhood and school zones. If you notice someone who has a habit of speeding, do you notify the police and/or talk to that individual and let them know how serious a violation it is to speed through a residential area and school zone? Do you make recommendations to chain-of-command, wing Safety or security forces when you see a potential hazard?

Here are some rules that apply to traffic laws on Holloman AFB and the surrounding community:

· Vehicles approaching a stopped school bus collecting or discharging children with its stop lights flashing, from any direction, shall come to a complete stop not closer than 20 feet from the bus and shall not proceed until the bus resumes movement or until directed by proper authority.

· Motorists cited for speeding in a housing area or school zone between five to 15 miles-per-hour over the posted speed limit in a school zone will receive a 5-day suspension.

· Motorists cited for speeding in a housing area or school zone in excess of 15 mph over the posted speed limit will receive a 5-day suspension and a traffic citation.

· Operators shall dismount and walk bicycles across the street when using a marked crosswalk.

· Pedestrians shall obey all traffic control devices and shall use designated crosswalks when crossing streets. Pedestrians have the right-of-way when in marked crosswalks

· Pedestrian Crossing - Vehicles shall yield to pedestrians from the time they see a
pedestrian at the crosswalk until such time as the pedestrian has departed the vehicle lanes of the roadway. Pedestrians shall not suddenly leave the curb or place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close it would be impossible for the driver to yield (IAW New Mexico Statute 66-7-334). 

Finally, remember that the school schedule affects your commute in the morning and the afternoon, so these rules apply to your drive to work and your drive home. 

We are all members of Holloman AFB and it is our responsibility to educate our children on traffic safety, be mindful of children crossing the roads, obey the posted speed limits, and step up and let your voice be heard when you see someone putting our children at risk or observe a potential hazard and bring it up through your chain of command so it can be corrected before someone is hurt. 

For more information, contact the 49th Fighter Wing Safety at 572-3793 or e-mail us at 49fw.wingse@holloman.af.mil.