When we are young, they teach us basic traffic safety such as look both ways before you cross, Yet, people tend to do the complete opposite. Traffic safety is so important. It protects us from harm and from harming others.
On Thursday October 26, 2023, there was an incident, where a student got hit by a car while texting on her phone and crossing the street on her way to school. According to senior Rita Pacheco who witnessed the incident, she wasn’t badly hit. The car was moving slowly since it was stuck in school traffic. The victim was hit on her side, but was thankfully okay and was back in school a few hours later, according to Assistant Principal Pedro Edeza.
“It’s annoying how a lot of kids walk on their phones,” Pacheco said. “ I don’t know whose fault it was; however, the fact that I saw her on her phone…The car was already turning before her.. People need to be more aware of their surroundings.”
Pedestrian injuries and deaths are a serious problem in California, and it is growing worse. According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, injuries and death rates have gone up 26% since 2018, and 25% higher fatality than the national average.
According to Edeza, the school has tried to address this problem by requesting the city of Salinas to add more sidewalks, drop off zones, more visible crosswalks, and adding speed bumps to slow down speeding cars in the school area. He said the major problems with adding all these new updates is that there is lack of support from the families and there is no money to cover the expenses.
Another problem is that parents aren’t helping with traffic safety. According to Edeza, since there is no definite drop off zone, parents tend to stop randomly at red lights letting their kids get off and run to the sidewalk. Actions such as these can lead to major accidents for both students and vehicles. “Our biggest issue and biggest concern is educating families for different reasons, the rush in the morning, they don’t think it’s a big deal. It’s a safety hazard,” Edeza said.
Campus supervisor Dove Garcia, who spends time at the front monitoring students, said they still break out in rebellious acts such as not following traffic laws, and not paying attention. “I’ve seen when somebody is distracted, they’re on their phones… they don’t see that they have a red light and keep going,” Garcia said.
In order to get action they need parents to request the city for these changes. “We do not control policies,” Edeza said, “it’s up to the parents and the people that live in the community that have to request that, they need to be more involved.”
To stay safe, here are some tips:
Safety tips for pedestrians
- Make sure you are visible to drivers
- Avoid dangerous behaviors
- Look left and right before crossing the street
- Stay off your phone
Safety tips for drivers
- Don’t speed, follow speed limit
- Never drive under the influence
- Stop at the crosswalk line
- Be cautious when backing up and turning
