First back-to-school lesson is safety for kids and drivers

It’s that time of year, back to school. That means more traffic on the roads. But one local organization is prompting commuting to school the healthy way, on your bike or by foot.

The hustle and bustle of back to school means not just hitting the books, but also being safe on the roads.

Brian Potwin, the education coordinator with Commute Options, work with Bend-La Pine Schools to promote switching from four wheels to two.

“There are lots of different social and economic and also health benefits to go along with safe routes to school and walking and biking to and from school,” Potwin said Wednesday.

If you’re looking to ditch the motor, Commute Options offers these tips:

1. Be aware of your surroundings.
2. Walk or bike in a group; there’s safety in numbers.
3. Always wear a helmet and communicate your intentions with drivers.

But Potwin said there’s also other danger students can face on a bike.

“One of them is the lower light hours, as we get more into fall and winter and the visibility for students who are walking and biking,” Potwin said. “And some other pieces are, people should go the speed limit going through school zones at 20 mph, texting later — that kind of thing.”

Potwin said if you do plan on driving your child, school pick-up and drop-off locations can get busy. Schools in the Bend La Pine district are working to make the traffic more manageable.

“The schools we work with are organized with their arrival and departure specifically,” he said. “They try to keep a good flow and have the student be picked up in front, so students aren’t crossing through the parking lot or getting picked up across the street. So it’s safer for the students and they can be seen by everyone who is driving.”

Because the last thing you should have to worry about when sending the kids back to school is their safety.