Nearly hit head on in the school parking lot!

[va32h]

There was a thread here last week about "rule-breakers" those people who just can't bring themselves to follow the very simple rules while picking up or dropping off their children from school.

Well this morning my encounter with a rule-breaker is going to cost me a small fortune.

I was taking my kids to school and turned into the horseshoe-shaped parking lot entrance, and to my shock, encountered a pickup truck coming straight at me! The line to get out of the parking lot was long, so this guy decided to turn around and head back out the entrance (which is only wide enough for one car btw). This guy was not even looking forward; he was looking to his right for oncoming traffic, because he was going to turn left out of the parking lot.

To avoid a head on collision, I veered to the side, and landed into a drainage ditch, scraping the side an undercarriage of my van.

On the way home, my brakes made an awful groaning and scraping noise.

I am so mad! Of course the jerk in the truck didn't even stop. I kept thinking of other ways I could have handled it - we weren't going fast, maybe I should have just honked and braked.

Anyway, I would like to write a letter to the principal and the district - not to complain, because I know they do all the can - but to ask what parents can do to get the city to give us a cop for an hour in the morning.

This is not the first time accidents or near-accidents have occurred. Our crossing guard was sideswiped by an angry driver, and kids have very nearly been hit darting out from behing parked cars that are not supposed to be parked in the drop off lanes.

 

[golfgal]

People like that REALLY make me mad! Good luck on getting the cop, chances are it won't happen until someone is killed unfortunately. I hope you got the license plate number of that truck, he is still responsible for your accident. Personally I would have stayed put and honked, but it is always easy to say that AFTER things happen.

 

[swanmom]

So sorry that you suffered damage to your van. Since clearly the truck was driven by someone from a school family, maybe you can find out who it was. They may do drop off daily and there must have been witnesses. It is probably worth your while to notify the police.
These "the rules don't apply to me" people are so infuriating! We live directly across from our local middle school. There is a drop-off procedure set up at the circular driveway. However, every day parents just pull over to the side of our major road, backing up through traffic to drop off their kids - who then have to cross the major road in the middle of the block without a crosswalk! Yesterday, I saw a kid come within inches of being hit. He darted across the road from behind his mom's car and the oncoming driver didn't see him until the last minute. The other driver was truly shaken - the kid just ran off into school. I called the police just to make them aware that more and more people are ignoring the drop-off procedures and it's getting dangerous. Today, they had a police car watching from a driveway and ticketed six parents for illegal stopping. Maybe this will get them to realize that it's not OK for them to think that they can be the one special exception - that they endanger others and set a climate where everyone thinks they can break the rules too! Imagine compromising their own kids safety and the safety of others to save five minutes!

 

[Marseeya]

That was my thread you're referring to.

OMG, I can't believe that happened to you! How infuriating! I'd do what swanmom suggested and try to find out who did that, especially if it's something you'll turn into your insurance. Let them go after him!

Anyway, good luck in trying to get a cop. Maybe the school could put a teacher or two out there. I know our school does that once in a while.

 

[experiment626mom]

You need to get a police report on the accident and depending on what your deductible is, file a claim with your insurance.

 

[DawnCt1]

You need to get a police report on the accident and depending on what your deductible is, file a claim with your insurance.

Absolutely. And if you file a complaint with the police, they will look for the vehicle that was responsible for this accident.

 

[laurie31]

Personally I would have stayed put and honked, but it is always easy to say that AFTER things happen.

Me, too. I actually got so angry when I first read this, I wasn't able to reply at all. I do believe I would have laid on the horn and dared the guy to hit me, but as golfgal said, it's hard to second guess what you'd really do. With the kids in the car, swerving might have been a reflex I couldn't stop. What an idiot to drive the wrong way!

Please do make the police report and the guy should get a major ticket for driving the wrong way on a one-way, not to mention leaving the scene of an accident. Maybe you can find some witnesses to help identify the truck.



Laurie

 

[SleepyMom]

I am so sorry to hear this, hopefully the damage to your car will be at a minimum. I would also contact the police and give them a description of the truck, if nothing else maybe the police can hang out in the area the next few days and issue tickets as needed.

My DD11's school last year had the same issues. It was like taking your own life in your hands to safely get your kids to school. I do not understand the parents that think getting their child to school is more important than the safety of all the kids.

I finally had had enough last year when my DD was the crossing guard, I would sit nearby in my vehicle just to make sure all went well. Some parents would actually scream at the crossing guards for letting the kids cross and I did not want my DD to be alone and have that happen. What I witnessed gave me chills. The next few days I took along my camera and snapped pics of some of the craziness, I turned the pics over to the adult safety person for the school and she took them to the police. Here are a couple of examples of what I saw on a daily basis...

This was in the morning, the car on the left is pulling into the circular drive to drop off kids. The car next to/behind it is in line to wait to pull into the circular drive, and the car next to that car (3rd from the left) couldn't wait their turn and drove around the line of cars on the WRONG side of the road (in a school zone at a cross-walk mind you) and basically was coming head-on at the van on the right who had to swerve to miss it. That is my DD on the way right in the orange vest, it scares me to think how close the kids are when the idiot drivers pull these stunts. But hey, as long as your kid gets to school on time I guess the kids you endanger don't matter.

This was in the afternoon, the crossing guard can only see the line of cars stopped and waiting and lets the kids cross in the cross-walk. In the meantime a car who can't wait pulls into the wrong lane to drive around the waiting cars and very easily could have hit one of those kids crossing.

Thankfully my DD does not go to that school anyore, so I don't have to worry about her safety crossing those streets, but I feel really bad for all the kids that do still go there. The police came and patrolled for a few days, I think they even gave out a few tickets... but as soon as they were gone it went back to the same old, same old.

 

[laurie31]

Here are a couple of examples of what I saw on a daily basis...

OMG!!!

Now I'm feeling very thankful that our school system does have an officer present during drop off and pick up times. The crossing guard is an adult.

How you sat and watched that with your dd right there...

Sorry, I'm out of words.

I work in a pediatric trauma center. Pedestrian vs car - the pedestrian always loses big time Oh I wish I could bring those drivers to work with me for a couple of nights! Where are they going that they can't wait 15 seconds for a child to cross the road?

Laurie

 

[SleepyMom]

They don't allow adults to help at the crosswalks, we've even had people volunteer and be told no. So the kids have to stand out there alone and put up with the idiots who think they are the only ones on the road.

va32h - Have you found anything out about your van yet?

 

[va32h]

va32h - Have you found anything out about your van yet?

It seems to be okay. Nothing leaking, anyway. The paint is scraped on the bottom panel. The brakes still sound funny to me - but that could be the power of suggestion. We are about due for a 30K mile checkup anyway, so we are going to have it checked out.

I wrote a letter detailing several of the near-accidents and traffic violations I've seen, and cc'd it to the principal of the school, the school district, and the local police precinct.

I am working with my councilman on another issue, so maybe I'll just cc him too, for the heck of it!

I emphasized that it isn't the school's fault at all - they do the best with what they have - but if the city could find a way to give us a cop for even 45 minutes in the morning, it would help so much.

 

[SleepyMom]

I would keep on them about it, and hopefully a solution can be found. Glad to hear the van seems OK. Be on the look-out for that truck tomorrow!