Editorial — Everyone needs to be careful this time of year

September 6, 2013 · 0 Comments

The admonitions are almost routine this time of year.
The kids are back in school, so everyone has to be extra careful, and that goes for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists — the whole lot.
Gentle reminders of this reality are always of some use, and that’s what we had intended to put in this space. And then we heard of Tuesday’s tragedy in Toronto, in which a young girl was killed on her way to school, just one day befofre what would have been her 15th birthday.
At this time, we don’t know what happened and who might have been at fault. And we frankly think that pointing a finger of blame would be excessively pointless.
But this dreadful incident provides an example that we all must keep in mind, especially at this time of year. It takes very little time, like maybe a second, for normal routine to turn into disaster. And we all need to remember that at all times, but this is one of those times of year when it really must be top of mind.
Those of us who drive cars have had a fairly easy time over the last couple of months when it comes to school zones, simply because the kids haven’t been in school. That’s also meant the kids have had an easy time too.
But they are back to the academic routine, and we all have to be mindful of that.
Kids are kids. There are a lot of different emotions that are going to be running through these young folks this week, with the excitement and exuberance of childhood or the high-octane drives of adolescence at work in them. On the one hand, returning to school after a couple of months of down time is something of a drag. The kids know they will have to get up at specified hours, adhere to schedules and worry about homework and all the other things that school means. It’s only understandable they’re going to feel a little low, at least for the first couple of days. But the other side of the situation is they are going to be getting back together with friends. In a lot of cases, they will not have seen each other since June. So’s there’s going to be a lot of excitement at work too.
In between the gloom and excitement, a lot of these kids are likely to forget the safety rules they have been taught over the years. They shouldn’t, but we all know many of them do. That puts an extra burden on the adults among us.
That’s why the people behind the wheel have to be extra careful.
But there is an onus on the young people too, and it’s up to parents and schools to issue the necessary reminders. These kids have an obligation to look out for their own safety. After all, they do have the most to lose.