School has started back all over the state. At Richard Schwartz & Associates of Jackson, Mississippi we want everyone to start their school year off right. In the past two years, we have seen school zone related car accidents take the lives of several children. This is a big problem that needs to be addressed before it happens again. Here are our personal injury lawyer’s tips of driving through school zones safely and without incident.

• Slow Down. Speeding tickets and fines double when you’re in a work or school zone. Take a moment, put your foot on the brake, and get under the school speed limit. Protect yourself and others by reducing your speed.

• Be ready to Stop. In a school zone, always be prepared to stop. People rush through these zones, but they’re protected for a reason. Children can suddenly appear from the other cars, and if you don’t stop there could be a deadly accident.
  
  
• Pay Attention. Looking down at your phone or taking your eyes off the road for any reason can be a deadly mistake. In a school zone, things can happen without warning. You have got to be ready to respond quickly, which means paying close attention to the road.
  
  
• Obey all signs and crossing guards. That stop sign is there for a very important reason, especially in a school zone. The crossing guard and crosswalks are also there to be obeyed and save lives. Bending the rules is risky driving behavior to begin with, but in a school zone it can be deadly. Follow all marked driving instructions carefully, and no lives will be endangered.

Help Mississippi and Richard Schwartz & Associates make Mississippi school zones a safer place for children and drivers. Remind people to drive safely in school zones, and of the legal repercussions of not obeying school zone laws. Our Mississippi car accident lawyers encourage people to drive safely, and to help protect our community. Car wrecks don’t have to be a part of the school year, so let’s do our best to prevent them!