This is the time of year we hear from school and traffic safety folks about school bus safety and student pedestrian safety.
And yes, motorists, please watch for the big yellow school bus flashing lights and stop arms, and slow down at intersections to watch for little students on foot.
Lives depend on it.
This year in Luverne, however, we have a bigger traffic safety issue on the school campus in light of the construction project.
Take a look at the above map, and maybe even hang a copy on the fridge.
If it’s not obvious, we’ll point out that most of the open areas that were once designated for parking and school access are no longer available this year.
Nearly all parking in nearly all cases will be on the south side of the building. Football fans can walk through the buildings to get to Cardinal Field.
Study this map. Become familiar with it. Enter school grounds expecting delays, and better yet, if you don’t have to be there by automobile, avoid it.
If you have a student driver, it’s perhaps most important to talk about this in your home. Perhaps put a copy of the map in the student’s car, along with a sticky note about careful and cautious driving on school grounds.
If all motorists — students, parents and visitors — who travel on or near the school campus do that, it could make the world a safer place for our students this year.
“Walk, bike, carpool, ride the bus … All of those things help us out immensely,” Superintendent Craig Oftedahl told the Star Herald Tuesday. “Fewer cars means fewer problems.”
… And better odds for a safe and successful school year.