09/27/2026
Teen Drivers, School Zones & Crosswalks: A New Jersey Safety Reminder
With school back in session across New Jersey, our roads are once again filled with school buses, young pedestrians, bicyclists, crossing guards—and newly licensed teen drivers.
For parents and teens, this is an important time to talk about safe driving, particularly around school zones and crosswalks.
Teen Drivers: Slow Down and Stay Focused
New drivers have less experience recognizing and reacting to potential hazards. Around schools, those hazards can appear quickly—a child stepping into a crosswalk, a school bus stopping unexpectedly, or traffic suddenly slowing during morning drop-off.
Teen drivers should remember:
• Put the phone away. A text, notification, or playlist can wait.
• Slow down in school zones. Be prepared for children to enter the roadway unexpectedly.
• Watch carefully at crosswalks. Look for pedestrians approaching from both sides of the road.
• Never pass a vehicle stopped for a pedestrian. The stopped vehicle may be blocking your view of someone crossing.
• Leave extra following distance. School traffic can stop suddenly.
• Obey school bus laws. Pay close attention to flashing lights and children entering or exiting buses.
Crosswalk Safety Matters
Drivers should approach crosswalks expecting pedestrians to be present—not assuming the road is clear simply because they do not immediately see someone.
Children can be particularly difficult to see because of their size and may not always accurately judge the speed or distance of an approaching vehicle.
Parents should also remind children to make eye contact with drivers whenever possible, use designated crosswalks, and avoid looking at phones while crossing the street.
Parents: Set the Example
Teen drivers learn from what they see.
When parents speed, use a phone behind the wheel, roll through stop signs, or fail to yield to pedestrians, teens may begin to view those behaviors as normal.
Make safe driving a family rule: phones away, seat belts on, speeds down, and full attention on the road.
Injured in a New Jersey Pedestrian or Car Accident?
Unfortunately, even careful pedestrians and drivers can be injured because of someone else's negligence.
If you or a family member has been injured in a New Jersey car accident, pedestrian accident, or crosswalk accident, it is important to understand your legal rights.
At My NJ Injury Lawyer Howard P. Lesnik, LLC, we represent injured people throughout New Jersey and help them navigate the insurance and personal injury claims process.
Howard P. Lesnik, Esq.
My NJ Injury Lawyer Howard P. Lesnik, LLC
