A Little 411 on Crosswalks

Ok, people. I am a crossing guard. This is my second school year as a crossing guard. I am right now a very FRUSTRATED crossing guard. I am continually amazed by the rudeness and stupidity of people. As I was griping under my breath about something the last bonehead did illegally, I said to myself,

"Now, let's be fair... perhaps they aren't just stupid. Perhaps they don't remember the laws/rules, or never learned them."

Ok, fair enough. Get ready to be educated! And then, do me the favor of finding someone else who is ignorant of these things and educate them!

Let's start really easy.... the picture below is a picture of a STOP sign.

It means to cease movement, quit, FREEZE, hold still, play dead, etc. The said ending of movement should occur in a VERY close proximity to the sign, and most importantly, should occur BEFORE you pass the sign. When in doubt, JUST HIT THE BRAKE!!!

A few basic rules for driving through crosswalks:

• When you see flashing yellow lights on a sign that says in BIG BOLD letters, "20 mph" this means, the fastest you can go is twenty miles per hour. In other words, SLOW DOWN BUCKWHEAT!!! The speed gauge on your car should not go above the 20!!! This sign will generally flash each school day at the SAME time in the morning, and the SAME time in the afternoon!


• When you approach the crosswalk, you do NOT have to stop UNLESS you see a person standing in the crosswalk, especially if they are holding a BIG RED SIGN reading "STOP." Please note that it is NOT helpful to stop your car directly over the crosswalk. NO good will come from this.


• When someone, ANYONE, is in a crosswalk, ANYWHERE, it is illegal to drive your car over any part of the crosswalk until the pedestrian (these are people walking) is completely out of the crosswalk.


• If a person is standing in the crosswalk wearing a glaring ORANGE and YELLOW vest and holding up a bright RED sign with the word "STOP" on it, YOU MUST COME TO A FULL AND COMPLETE STOP BEFORE YOU GET TO THE CROSSWALK!!!! Again, don't cross over the crosswalk until all persons, INCLUDING the one with the gorgeous vest and sign, are OUT OF THE CROSSWALK!!!


• People in BRIGHT orange and yellow vests are not supposed to be invisible. You can pretend all you want, but for heaven's sake people!!! We are practically GLOWING!!! Are you trying to tell me that you are that incompetent?!?! Maybe you find the vibrant glaring colors offensive and so retaliate by trying to run us over? NOT A GOOD IDEA! Just remember, we work for the police department and we pay CLOSE attention to license plate numbers!!!

Now, you parents of school children... listen up and teach your kids! (Who actually are quite well behaved and good at following rules until their parents show them differently.)

• When you come to the crosswalk, WAIT for the crossing guard. In general you shouldn't just run out into the road, especially not without first looking. If you insist on doing it yourself, let the crossing guard know. If you decide to use the crossing guard, wait until they get out in the road and tell you to come.


• If you are riding a bike, you must GET OFF THE BIKE and WALK it across. This rule can be applied to bikes, scooters, roller shoes, etc. You must always WALK across the crosswalk. (However, you don't have to walk slowly, just a nice, brisk walk. Also, it's not the best idea to stop in the road to talk to people.)


• When you cross the road, STAY ON THE CROSSWALK!!! There will likely be two cones in the road, walk BETWEEN those cones!

Now, in all fairness let me explain that MOST people and kids are really aware and good at these things. I just get so frustrated with people who have to speed through school zones, ignore stop signs, and are just impatient! I get the feeling they have an attitude like, "oh, yeah, they mean everyone except me." If you have this kind of view, just keep in mind that there are usually police patrolling crosswalks and one of these days, you just might get nailed! These tickets are very expensive. I don't know the exact amount, though I am curious.... but the most important thing is this: Keeping the kids safe! I have known personally, two kids who were hit by cars while in a crosswalk with a crossing guard there. Both suffered from some major injuries. You don't want to cause this right? Or be a victim someday? Then let's all just START PAYING ATTENTION, SLOW DOWN AND EXCERCISE SOME PATIENCE!!!! Thank you!