SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - It's time to send the kids back to school, and the CHP is reminding everyone to be extra careful when driving around campus. Each year, dozens of California children are hurt in traffic accidents getting to and from school.
It's August, and that means it back to school for thousands of San Diego students.
"We've had some close calls," Fuerte Elementary School Principal Karen Sapper said.
Close calls are what administrators at Fuerte Elementary School are trying to avoid, as children try to make it to class on time.
"Parents get in a hurry, they rush to school. They don't want to wait in lines so they make mistakes that are dangerous for our kids," Sapper said.
According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, dozens of children are injured every year in traffic-related incidents around school campuses. California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Pennings says if you're a parent who drops your child off in the morning, it's important to slow down, get off the cell phone and obey traffic patterns.
"If there is a no u-turn sign, please don't do any u-turns. If there's a no stopping or no parking sign please abide by that. If your school asks you to drop them off and pick them up at certain locations, don't park across the street and wave for your kid," Pennings said.
And if your child walks, rides a bike or a skateboard to school, make sure they travel against traffic and always wears a helmet.
"Parents remember, it has to be two finger widths above the eyebrow and two finger widths under the chin as far as how tight it is. Otherwise it's no good," Pennings said.
Students say Fuerte's newly added safety patrol program is another helpful tool in driving home the message.
"We have to look and you have to wait for the safety patrol person to get out before you walk," a student said.
While officials say these road rules may seem like common sense, they're lessons children won't learn in any textbook.
"We have an east end and a west end and also here at the entrance to the school also as much as we can we try to do the right things. And if not, we adjust and move forward," parent Monica Samuel said.