If a Tulsa lawmaker gets his way, every time a driver enters a school zone, he or she will need to turn on the vehicle’s hazard lights.
Rep. Ken Walker proposes just that in House Bill 2470 which requires drivers to “engage the motor vehicle’s vehicular hazard warning lamps” upon approaching the school zone and to keep them engaged until exiting the school zone.
“The idea is simple – when you see hazard lights, it makes you sit up and pay more attention,” said Walker.
According to the Transportation Research Board, more than 100 children are killed and nearly 25,000 injured every year while walking to and from school. Nearly half of those children are ages 5 to 7.
“This is basically an annual problem, even if it doesn’t always occur in a school zone. It’s human nature that in the morning rush, some drivers are going to be distracted. Getting their attention with hazard lights is a sure-fire way to increase their attention. Parents should be able to drop off and pick up their kids without worrying about these types of accidents,” said Walker.
