Keep Our Roads Safe
January 01, 2019
We get excited when we see the first snowflakes drift gracefully but when the flurries turn to storms, our attention shifts. Are the roads safe for our young drivers to travel? Parents begin pacing in a nervous frenzy over the safety of their children.
Most often, our road crews are clearing our highways quite early in the morning and remain on duty until their supervisors deem the situation safe for all. Teach your children to leave plenty of room behind these vehicles. It allows them to do their job efficiently.
Remind your young drivers not to talk or text on their cellphones while driving. A good way to handle this is to put phones in the trunk of the car or in the backseat. Drivers may ask passengers to answer the phone and reply to the caller. If a driver must make or receive a call, pull over to the shoulder and stop the vehicle.
Passengers must be respectful of the driver’s needs. Fighting or playing loud music may distract the driver. It takes time for a young driver to gain confidence in driving. Watching road conditions, signs, traffic and wildlife takes great concentration!
Do not tolerate racing, spinouts, or other aggressive driving from your child. Neighbors and friends, help parents by keeping a watchful eye on our young drivers! We appreciate your support by visiting with students who run stop signs, pass parked school buses or drive too fast on treacherous road conditions.
Parents, we can model safe driving habits by always wearing our seatbelts and never driving while alcohol or drug impaired. Be patient when following a slower moving vehicle.
Each year, nearly 200 Nebraskans die as a result of a traffic accident. We hope to see these numbers decrease! If we practice safe driving habits and encourage others to do so, we may see that dream become a reality.