Driving through Saratoga Springs, we have noticed that people speed a lot through school zones. It has left us wondering, why do these school zone collisions keep happening? Here is what our research has brought to our attention.

Distracted Students

Many students (roughly 80%) in middle and high school engage in unsafe street-crossing behavior, such as wearing headphones and hoodies, talking to their friends, or just looking down at their phones. Distracted crossing of roads is a key factor in many pedestrian injuries.

Unsafe Drivers

Nearly one in three drivers are spotted making unsafe maneuvers to drop off or pick up students. We have also noticed that about one in ten drivers arrives/pull up to the school distracted by their mobile devices.

Inexperienced Drivers

School zones contain many high school students with newly acquired licenses. This can be a major risk factor for school zone collisions as about 55 percent of school zone accidents in the U.S. occur when a teenager is behind the wheel.

School Zone Speed Limit

Speed limits in school zones are usually reduced during specific hours only. Some drivers do not pay attention to these changes in speed limit resulting in unintentional speeding in school zones that put other drivers and students at risk of injury.

Lack of Sidewalks and Traffic Control

In rural school zones, it is common for them to not have any sidewalks. In fact, over a quarter of high schools lack the proper amount of pedestrian crossing assistance such as traffic lights or pedestrian crosswalk signals. These devices have been tested and the results show over a 15 percent decrease in pedestrian collisions.

With the school year coming to a close, our expert attorneys are trying their best to educate people for the next one to come. If you are fully aware of the aforementioned reasons for school zone collisions, you may be able to prevent an accident throughout the next school year. The roads have become a more dangerous place in this post-pandemic world and children should not be paying for our irresponsibilities.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a school zone accident and have sustained significant injuries, contact our lawyers at The Law Firm of Roberto Hernandez to get the best legal representation in the state of Utah. Call today to receive a free consultation on your case, as we are here ready to fight for you so you can focus on fully recovering before next term.