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Be cautious, pay attention while on the roads

Thank heaven she will be all right.

That is the appropriate and no doubt widely shared reaction to an accident Monday in which a 10-year-old girl was struck by a car after she got off a school bus.

Second in some minds will be the question of how this could have happened in our area.

It occurred Monday afternoon near Colerain in Belmont County. The Ohio State Highway Patrol reports the girl had been taken to her bus stop after school. The school bus stopped on county Road 6 and she got off.

Then, she attempted to cross nearby U.S. Route 250 and was struck by a car.

Trooper Michael Grant said the child suffered some broken bones, but was conscious and talking after the mishap. She was taken to a hospital. It appears the youngster will recover.

No citations were issued. Local law enforcement agencies are quick to write tickets and, if appropriate, make arrests when motorists put children in jeopardy. This one appears to have been a situation in which no one could have prevented the accident.

Well, not quite “no one.”

Had the little girl not darted out onto the highway, she would not have been struck by a car.

Remember, however, she is only 10 years old. At that age, we adults are supposed to be watching out for her safety.

The school bus driver followed procedure in halting at the bus stop and displaying flashing lights as students got off. But the accident occurred not on the road where the bus was, but nearby.

Obviously, it is impossible for a school bus to stop all traffic on all streets and roads students could cross after disembarking.

So, how do we keep this from happening again?

For starters, we all need to sit our children down and have a long talk about safety. That will help.

We motorists need to pay more attention when there is a possibility youngsters may be crossing streets or roads without looking both ways for oncoming vehicles.

Morning and afternoon hours when school buses are picking up or letting off students are critical. That will help.

Here’s hoping the girl injured in Monday’s crash makes a speedy recovery. Let’s all remember she and thousands of other children in our area are counting on us all to keep them safe.

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