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coolbuskid
Senior Member
51 Posts |
 Posted - 02/04/2014 : 09:29:35 AM
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A Parkdale High School student in Washington, D.C. was hit in a crosswalk while on his way to the school. The driver who apparently crashed into him left the student severely injured, and drove away from the scene.
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/24622729/dc-teen-struck-by-hit-and-run-driver-while-walking-to-school
This is why I like riding buses, not walking and not driving personal vehicles to school. Things were different when cities were less crowded and pedestrians were recognized, but now with oblivious drivers and their entertainment systems, plus crazy drivers who deliberately accelerate when they see a pedestrian in a crosswalk (or when they're blocking the passing lane of a highway and someone ahead in the right lane signals left to pass another vehicle) and attempt to cause a collision.
Some school districts have cut bus transportation for students who live within a mile or so of the school, and as they claim to be trying to save money by expanding the walking zone, they push an increasing number of children and teens to find alternate forms of transportation. The problem is that, unlike when the school was an integral part of the community layout, getting to the school may require crossing one or more badly-designed intersections that are not pedestrian- or bicycle-friendly, and sometimes require crossing a busy street where there is no intersection or traffic signal. Another problem is that cutting bus services simply pushes more parents and students to drive their personal vehicles, increasing the number of inexperienced, asleep, and distracted drivers on the road. This leads to more traffic congestion, more risk of a vehicular or pedestrian collision, and more fuel wasted while idling. |
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misterbill
Advanced Member
United States
306 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2014 : 06:36:27 AM
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| I heard someone on our local talk radio station say that rush hour traffic would be reduced by 25% if kids rode the bus to school. There are three schools in my town, the elementary, intermediate, and the high school, and they all start at different times. Some parents drop a kid off, go home, drop another kid off, go home again, and then drop the last kid off. I am always amazed when I listen to the radio in the morning when there is no school, and they always say-"traffic is very light today, no problems anywhere!" |
High School Friend-"Hey! How are you! Well, I guess you can't be doing too well, you're driving a school bus." |
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Parkdale High teen hit while walking to school
