Elementary School Traffic Accident

Yesterday, February 21 a day after the president’s day a violent driver had an accident on the Gunpowder Elementary property after school. This driver did not want to wait in line with other cars and parents that came to Elementary School to pick up their children but decided that he can squeeze his Brown color van trough a narrow space after honking and acting rather aggressive in his van yelling and screening at cars in front of him. Then he decided to do unthinkable. Right when parents with or without children were walking to their cars and crossing the street he puts his foot on a gas and decides to drive at very high speed because he picked up his child and did not want to wait for the traffic to clear thus, swiping two cars that had people in it breaking their mirrors and damaging their doors. These people had to get out of the car stand in front of his van while he was going to run away to stop his recklessness. Then they called the insurance and i guess settle the issue.

My concern as a parent whose child attends Gunpowder School.

1. How is the role of crossing guards help protecting children? If cases like this happen again and another reckless driver hits a child?

2. What can we do as parents? How can we improve traffic in the morning and after schools for smooth drop off and pick up for car riders?

3. What is the role of the principal of Elementary School in setting up a strategy and a plan for emergencies for cars that fly through a school zone?

4. Where do we as parents complain in order to stop people flying through school zone?

5. How does principal or school know where the child is going if they are letting them go by just telling the teacher; "Oh, this is my uncle, Buy!" How do teachers know?

6. Can state consider installing automatic car gate barriers and or steel Ballard barriers in front of the school entrance and/or driveway to school for any reckless drivers? Today in most school in Maryland all we have is a person moving a wooden barrier putting his own life at risk.

These are legitimate concerns that I as a parent have and would like to help prevent them.