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Show Even though it is summer Caution urged in school zones Although most schools in Utah are in the summer vacation mode, drivers still need to be cautious in school zones, warns the Utah Department of Transportation. There are several schools in the state that are on a year-round schedule, so students will be going go-ing to those schools during the summer months. Several schools have summer school classes. And many children use playground facilities at school even when classes aren't in session. Summertime is not a time to be lax in school zone safety. It doesn't take a lot to figure out how to drive safely in a school zone, says Sgt. Gary Whitney of the Utah Department of Public Safety. "The most obvious thing to do is slow down and be alert. The signs are there. Drivers have got to slow down." The most important thing to do is pay attention atten-tion to your driving and to the children, Whitney continues. "Don't be reading or putting on your lipstick while you go through a school zone. Kids can do the unexpected and dart out into traffic at any time.' The responsibility goes beyond drivers as well. Parents need to teach their children to have respect for cars and to be alert. Blaine H. Beckstrom, safety patrol advisor at Granite School District's Granger Elementary, said that students need to take responsibility for themselves them-selves and to exercise caution. "We teach (the students) to face traffic when they walk, and to cross only where there are crossing guards. Stop, look and listen," Beckstrom said. Drivers who travel through school zones need to keep a look out for bicycle riders as well as pedestrians. Cyclists need to use some common sense themselves, he said. "Students need to know bike safety ' Beckstrom said. "Use hand signals when they turn, have bicycles safety inspected, and walk bikes across busy intersections." The Utah Department of Transportation is helping to teach about school zone safety as part of its "It Doesn't Hurt to Drive Carefully" safety safe-ty campaign, which began May 23. "That's one area where we can make a difference," differ-ence," said Kim Morris, UDOT Community Relations Re-lations director. "We may not be able to go in and put up a stoplight at every crosswalk, but if we can get drivers to slow down and be more alert, get kids to be more aware of safety and overall reduce the number of school zone accidents, ac-cidents, then I think the program will be a success." According to Rick Julio of UDOT's Traffic and Safety Division, in 1989 there were 1,998 accidents in school zones. In 1990, the figure was 2,051. |