Go slow near schools when kids are around

As the first week of school students heading back to physical classrooms after the gap caused by the pandemic, the Royal Oman Police has alerted parents on the responsibility of alerting their children on road safety, “It is a necessity to make sure that the bus has stopped completely before getting off it, taking into account the correct traffic precautions while heading home.”

The Director-General of Royal Oman Police, Colonel Mohammed Awadh al Rowas, speaking to Observer, said it is customary for the ROP to follow closely on the safety of students and their vehicles at the beginning of each academic year.

“We want all the parents and drivers to be aware of all the safety measures and road safety regulations that must be followed to safeguard students particularly when they are near the schools. We request everyone to reduce speed and help the students in their movement while arriving at school and leaving the school premises,” said Col Mohammed.

There has been a daily awareness campaign by the Royal Oman Police on social media. On Wednesday the campaign highlighted the rights of the pedestrians.

What do you do when approaching pedestrian crossings?

The ROP stated, “Slow down. Come to a complete stop before entering the planned pedestrian crossing. Giving priority to pedestrians as soon as they place their feet on the first line of the zebra crossing.”

On the other hand the parents have also raised the importance of the role of the school bus drivers when it comes to the safety of their children while commuting to school and back.

“What is the role of the driver? They play a crucial role in the safety of the children. Some of them drive the bus before the student sits or get off from the bus door onto the street or they stop next to the street so that one side of the vehicle is inside the street which obscures the vision of the student and can result in tragedies,” said a concerned parent.

“I hope that buses are required to install a camera in front of the bus door,” requested yet another parent on social media.

“Two of the biggest concerns are run-over accidents and young children being forgotten in the bus,” reflected a mother.

There are strict traffic regulations to be followed by drivers while passing through school zones. The school buses being back on the roads the traffic has peaked during the rush hours and the ROP campaign also highlighted on the significance of using vehicle indicators, negligence of which is a traffic violation.

“The driver of the vehicle must use the side-signal light ‘right, left’ that indicates a lane change, and that the warning remain in place for the duration of the lane change. It is considered in violation if any driver who does not use the side signal when changing from one lane to another.”