Decorah Police share school safety tips

With school beginning in Decorah on Thursday, the Decorah Police Department is issuing traffic safety tips:
 
·         Be mindful of the speed limit.  Most collisions are a product of exceeding the speed limit or driving too fast for the conditions at the time.

·         Be alert for children crossing streets in unexpected locations or coming out from between cars.

·         Watch for bicyclists.  They also have a right to use the roadway, but are required to obey the traffic laws as well.

·         Try to give bicyclists, runners and walkers in the road a comfortable amount of clearance when passing them.

·         Bike riding is not permitted on sidewalks in the downtown business area.

·         When dropping off kids at schools, avoid blocking the roadway and creating a hazard.

·         If a pedestrian is in the roadway crossing the street, whether there is a marked crosswalk or not, the driver is required to yield right of way to the pedestrian regardless of where the pedestrian is in the road.  A pedestrian is the vulnerable party in the roadway and as such must be given the right of way.

·         If a pedestrian is waiting on the curb for the opportunity to cross the street, please consider contributing to their safety by allowing them to cross.  Many of Decorah's streets are very busy and can be difficult to cross.  This is especially true for the elderly, handicapped and very young.  While the law does not require a motorist to stop and allow a pedestrian who is not yet in the roadway to cross the street, courtesy would suggest that it's the right thing to do and you will have the benefit of knowing you made someone's life safer.