Over the last two weeks, I have been monitoring the lots of South Brunswick High School, both before and after school. The recent tragedy in Robbinsville reminded me that there are times when we are not fully engaged while driving our vehicles, and I have seen this firsthand. It seems to me that more and more of us are rushing from one destination to another and are sometimes not thinking of traffic and pedestrian safety. This leads me to share the following message to anyone who enters our campus:
Most of you, either dropping off in the morning or picking up in the afternoon, are following sound driving principles, practices and laws. You are keeping student/staff safety in mind when driving 10-15 mph on our campus. You are not making illegal and dangerous u-turns. You are stopping at crosswalks to allow for pedestrians to walk safely to and from our building and parking spots, and you are looking all ways when your car is in motion. You are not in a rush because you know that driving in a hurried way places everyone in danger. You understand that “patience is a virtue” and you do not become angry when you have to wait on a line for a few minutes on our property. You know, especially in the morning, that if you drop off 7-7:18 a.m., there is very little to no traffic. Most of you know that if you drop off your children 7:18-7:30 a.m., you will be waiting in traffic.
With regard to afternoon pickups, some do’s and dont’s: Do wait on line in our parking lot in an orderly manner. Do have your children walk to your car rather than drive into oncoming traffic. Do wait until the cars in front of you begin to move and exit. Do be mindful of students/staff walking in our lots. Do not cut in front of cars. Do not create your own lanes. Do not block oncoming traffic as it creates unsafe driving conditions.
I have received a number of concerns from students and staff members regarding drivers not giving the right of way to pedestrians walking to or from their parked cars, as well as pedestrians walking within the crosswalks. I do recognize that pedestrians also have a responsibility to use the crosswalks properly and cautiously. However, cars must stop for pedestrians when they are walking within a crosswalk. In the state of New Jersey, Title 39 has identified a number of statutes (such as 39:4-34 and 39:4-35) which states that “No operator of a vehicle shall fail to give the right-of-way to a pedestrian at a crosswalk …”
There have been a number of “close calls” with students and staff members sharing with me that drivers are not paying attention – rushing and speeding through our lots, making u-turns and not fully stopping at crosswalks and stop signs. This is a safety concern that has been passed on to our police department.
As some of you might remember, we had an unfortunate accident here on our grounds where a student was hit by a car approximately five years ago. I am urging all of us to be mindful when driving – to slow down, be patient, look all ways when our cars are in motion, and help ensure that students, staff and all pedestrians on our campus are safe to walk on our property.
Parents, I encourage you to engage in a conversation with your children, whether they drive or walk to school. Everyone must be mindful of sound driving principles, practices and laws at all times.
If anyone would like to discuss this further, my door is always open.
Peter Varela
Principal
South Brunswick High School