As we drive to work early each weekday morning, we see children alongside the dark roads, walking to school or waiting at bus stops.
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OKEECHOBEE — As we drive to work early each weekday morning, we see children alongside the dark roads, walking to school or waiting at bus stops. Many of these children are dressed in dark clothing and often are looking down at their cell phones as they walk.
According to the Association for Psychological Science, “Getting hit by a car is the third leading cause of death for kids 5- to 9-years-old, and kids up to age 15 make up a disproportionate number of pedestrian casualties worldwide.”
Although there are low speed limits in school zones, this is not usually the case near bus stops or in neighborhoods where children walk to the bus stops or to the schools.
In Okeechobee, the earliest start time for public schools is 7:04 a.m. at the Okeechobee High School, and the first buses pick up children beginning as early as 5:45 a.m. In Florida, the sun rise is about 6:30 a.m. and in the fall as the days get shorter, the sun does not rise before 7 a.m.
https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@3558773?month=6&year=2022
Many areas in Okeechobee County have no streetlights and children sit, stand, walk in pitch darkness in order to get to school on time. When Daylight Savings Time ends this week, it will get light an hour earlier which will put a little light on the kids waiting for their buses.
Though many are relieved by this, there are many who would prefer Florida remain on Daylight Savings time year-round. They argue Daylight Savings Time allows them more hours of sunlight during the late afternoon/evening when they are home from work and able to be outside.
This measure has been passed by Florida voters and state lawmakers approved a bill to this effect in 2019. However, this will not happen unless and until Congress amends U.S. law to allow it.
At this time, states are able to opt out of Daylight Savings Time and remain on Standard Time year-round, but they are not allowed to remain on Daylight Savings Time year-round.
This year, we “fall back” on Nov. 6. Don’t forget to change your clocks and be grateful your child will not have to sit outside in the dark as he waits for the school bus ... at least for a few months.
