Distracted drivers put school children at risk

Louisiana children have recently headed back to school, and a new study has some wondering how safe they are. Recent reports show that school zones are some of the most dangerous when it comes to distracted driving, putting children at risk.

As CBS News reports, a new study found that one in three drivers is unsafe in a school zone. This is putting students at risk for an accident, and those in more urban counties are at a higher risk: schools in Dallas, San Francisco, Manhattan, and Houston were the top five most dangerous in the country. The study was conducted by Zendrive, which researched the areas around 75,000 schools across the nation. Their findings show that one in 11 public schools is near a major road or highway, which have pedestrian accidents six times as often. With 88 percent of drivers using their phones behind the wheel, researchers found this increases the likelihood of a crash 20 times. Afternoons are the most dangerous time on the roads surrounding a school, so children are most at risk during afterschool pick-up.

Louisiana was given a D for the overall safety of schools in the state after analyzing 47 counties. There were 19 counties given a safety grade in the D range, and five counties were given an F for their schools’ safety. There were twelve states that received a grade of A- or higher, and California and Florida were given an F for overall school safety. Parents can check to see if their child’s school was one of the 75,000 researched to see its safety score.