TAMPA, Fla. — A video from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shows a child almost meeting with disaster in November.
In the video, the child can be seen getting off a school bus before almost being hit by a car while crossing the street. This happened on Nov. 21 on Williams Road in Tampa, the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post.
Deputies shared the video on Wednesday, Dec. 11. The narrowly avoided incident prompted the agency to send a "crucial reminder" to Florida drivers.
"Drivers, this is a crucial reminder that you must stop when you see a school bus with flashing lights and the stop arm extended. Please stay vigilant and remember the safety of our students depends on it," deputies stated in the post.
Here are some important safety tips for drivers to follow, according to the Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition:
- Be alert and watch for children especially near schools, bus stops, school buses and in school parking lots.
- Put away the phone! School zones are hands-free areas. It’s illegal to have your hands on a cell phone while traveling through a designated school zone.
- Pay extra attention to lower speed limits in school zones. Be mindful of the designated school zones in your area and reduce your speed to 15 miles per hour or less.
- Only drive or park in authorized areas to drop off or pick up children at school. This helps make the roadway travel safer for children to locate and access to their rides.
- Watch for and obey signals from school crossing guards. This may include stopping in areas that do not have a stop sign, or yielding the right-of-way to crossing children.
