Seasonal Darkness Requires Added Caution to Ensure Safety - Oct 28, 2008 09:56 AM

This morning (October 23rd) our community narrowly escaped a tragic event when one of our Floyd Dryden students was hit while riding his bike in the Stephen Richards crosswalk.  We are very fortunate that our young man’s parents insisted he always wear a helmet when riding his bike and the driver was cautiously making a left turn when our student appeared out of the darkness.  Even though he was injured and in need of medical care, the helmet certainly reduced the chance of a situation beyond the help of a hospital. 

It is obviously once again that especially dangerous time of year when darkness compounds the risk our children experience each day as they make their way to and from Floyd Dryden.

Between 7:15 and 8:30 on school day mornings Mendenhall Loop Road is the mixing bowl for an extremely high risk recipe:  the heaviest volume of traffic of the day, the largest concentration of elementary and middle school age children of the day crossing the road, and twilight/darkness enveloping the scene. 

The potential for tragedy is truly increased exponentially when one considers that the most dangerous and life threatening activity of our children’s day has become routine for both them and the drivers in this mixing bowl.  After successfully crossing a road 200 times, it is normal for our students to not be overly concerned about the 201st crossing.  After driving a car for many years, it is normal for our drivers to have the day’s work and activities on their minds as they make their way along Mendenhall Loop Road. 

In addition to the above and most unfortunate, all of us who have served crosswalk duty at Floyd Dryden can readily confirm that not every driver is responsible and considerate.  I frequently have to request JPD to monitor the traffic as it passes through the Floyd Dryden school zone as a deterrent for those who willfully jeopardize the safety of our children and crossing guards.

There are some basic and simple safeguards that parents and educators can do to reduce the walk to school risk.  Please do not let our Dryden students leave home in the morning without first being reminded that crossing Mendenhall Loop Road is a serious, life threatening activity.  If you drive your child to school, always drop them off in front of the school and never drop them off on the other side of Mendenhall Loop.  Enhance our children’s safety by having them wear a light colored or bright colored coat with reflective material during the dark winter trek to school.  Insist and confirm that they wear a helmet if they bike to school.  While educators and parents are driving to work in the morning on Mendenhall Loop, stay focused on our children and the daily, second-by-second potential for tragedy.  At school we will frequently remind our students of the routine danger they face, revisit safety precautions for crossing Mendenhall Loop Road, and review safe bike riding habits.

Taking the above precautions will enhance safe, winter trips to and from Dryden.  We will continue to lose daylight minutes for almost two more months, but the winter solstice marking the slow return of daylight hours will be here before we know it.

Tom Milliron
Principal
Floyd Dryden Middle School

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