Safety officials: Drivers, pedestrians need to know rules of the road

As the temperatures rise and the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall community starts to enjoy outdoor activities again, the joint base's safety office is reminding drivers and pedestrians to be mindful when crossing the street and to always stop for stopped school buses.

JBM-HH Safety Programs Manager Leonard Davis said any pedestrian crossing the street should do so in a designated crosswalk.

"Most drivers are attuned to people crossing at the designated crosswalks and not coming out from in between cars or behind bushes," Davis told the Pentagram.

Signage has been added to crosswalks so that drivers can be more aware of stopping for pedestrians as their car approaches the crosswalk, according to Davis.

"That's why there are the new signs in the road now, saying 'stop for pedestrians in crosswalks,'" he said. "That's something that's been added to heighten the awareness of the people crossing the road and for the drivers."

But pedestrians must also be aware of oncoming traffic and not step out into a crosswalk when a car has the right of way.

"Pedestrians have to give the right of way to moving vehicles," said JBM-HH Safety Officer Ron Foster.

Virginia Code 46.2-924 states, "No pedestrian shall enter or cross an intersection in disregard of approaching traffic."

Davis noted that these regulations may go against what some pedestrians think, but he stressed that it's for everyone's safety.

"People just naturally step into the crosswalk thinking that they have the right of way when they actually don't," Davis said. "They think, 'Well, they're going to stop for me.' And that's the wrong type of thinking to have.

"If a pedestrian is already in the crosswalk and crossing, then a car must stop. But when I'm standing at the curb and I just step and there's traffic coming, I don't have the right of way."

Proper school bus safety

All drivers on base must also stop on both sides of an undivided road for stopped school buses.

"The main thing is, you never pass on either side of a bus with flashing lights," Davis said. "They've shown on the news people blowing by buses with flashing lights and kids almost getting hit while getting on or off the bus."

Virginia Code 46.2-859 states, "A person driving a motor vehicle shall stop such vehicle when approaching, from any direction, any school bus which is stopped on any highway, private road or school driveway for the purpose of taking on or discharging children, the elderly, or mentally or physically handicapped persons, and shall remain stopped until all the persons are clear of the highway, private road or school driveway and the bus is put in motion."

Failure to comply with the code could result in the driver being charged with reckless driving and having to appear in court, according to the code.

Foster said there have been incidents of drivers passing school buses on the installation and urged drivers to be mindful, especially near Cody Child Development Center on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base.

"You have to be more aware in and around the CDC and on Sheridan Avenue," Foster said.

Davis also pointed out that children can be in a hurry and running to catch the bus, increasing the need for drivers to be alert to their surroundings and to stop for buses.

"A lot of kids are in a hurry, some could be running late, running after the bus or something like that," he said, adding that parents want to consider accompanying their children to the bus stop.