The Gorham Times, Gorham, Maine's Community Newspaper

As the days shorten, the air gets crisper, and the Maine woods prepares for its spectacular fall foliage show, it’s important to remember some key autumn road safety rules. Of course, we all need to follow Maine’s traffic laws year-round, but every season brings a different set of challenges on Maine’s roads.

Kids are back to school and that means more buses, pedestrians and bike traffic for drivers to be aware of. The National Safety Council’s website identifies risks and recommends some tips for safely sharing the road with students and others making their way to school and back.

Tragically, most school bus involved deaths are children from four to seven years old, according to the NSC. These accidents often occur when a driver attempts to pass a school bus that is picking up children or dropping them off. Never pass a bus from behind or as oncoming traffic if their lights are flashing and the side stop sign is extended. Make sure you leave at least 10 feet between your vehicle and the front of the bus when stopping. You should stay alert around young children around the road, who can be unpredictable and sometimes ignore hazards.

Another school-related hazard to watch for is children on bikes. Maine law requires bicyclists abide by traffic laws while on the road, but children are inconsistent in their knowledge and observance of those laws. That means we, as drivers, must be sure to use extra caution while children ride their bikes to school and back home. Make sure to leave three feet between your vehicle and a bicycle while passing. When making a turn, allow bicyclists to cross the intersection first. This is especially important when making right turns, since bicycles are difficult to see when they approach from behind.

Of course, as we get farther into the fall season, another road hazard will present itself: leaf peepers. The fall foliage tourism season is serious business in Maine. Last fall, 10.3 million people visited Maine and spent $1.67 billion here. That’s great news for Maine businesses, and we all hope that those numbers continue to go up. Our fall visitors are welcome guests and we need to be cautious on the road for everyone’s safety. Especially in the fall, make sure you leave plenty of room between your vehicle and those who may be here for the dazzling foliage. Leaf peepers will often pull over to take in a special view, so be prepared to stop and avoid an accident.

Fall is also the last chance to finish road construction projects before the hard frost puts projects on hold until spring. We’re in the final stretch of waiting to pass through one-lane construction zones for the year. That’s plenty of time and opportunity to reflect on the importance of maintaining and improving our transportation network. We’ll have an opportunity to approve $105 million in bond funding that will go toward next year’s road construction season on Election Day, November 7. I hope that by approving this funding, we can start to reduce the roughly $525 each of us pays in extra vehicle repairs from driving on Maine roads every year.

If you are interested in looking at upcoming projects, you can find the complete three-year Maine DOT Work Plan online here.