Omar Majali Okaz/Saudi Gazette One day at twelve o'clock in the afternoon while the students of Al-Thaghar School were coming out of the gate, one of them was run over by a car while he was trying to cross the street. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, who had rushed to accident site. The accident happened in front of a large number of students, who after this accident had become hesitant and scared of crossing the street near the school gate. There were several reasons for the accident, the main one being the driver's recklessness, absence of speed bumps, and the failure to provide places inside the school yard where students can wait until their families pick them up. Traffic jams Al-Thaghar neighborhood is infamous for its traffic congestions during the rush hour. Many families have become worried to death about the safety of their sons and daughters following the student's fatal accident. There are also girls' schools in the neighborhood and are located at crowded streets as well. Student safety has become a big concern because the schools in that area do not have waiting spots specified for students as the school gates literally open onto the street. This, especially during the time when students come out at the end of the school day and have to wait outside for the driver or one of their parents to come and pick them up, could prove dangerous. Out of fear of being hit or run over by a speeding car, most students of Al-Thagar school prefer to, or as told by their families, wait for their rides inside gas stations, which too pose dangers to their health. The students are stuck between a rock and a hard place: They either wait on the busy streets near the school or inside gas stations. Picking up students on time Hassan Al-Hameed, father, said concerned authorities should find a solution to this problem and eliminate the risks surrounding students. Negligence and inaction will make more students lose their lives. “The school must warn students against sitting and waiting inside the gas station. For me, sitting on one of the curbs near the school is better than waiting in a area that's a veritable time-bomb, which you do not know when it will go off,” Al-Hameed said. In his opinion, schools have a duty to make students aware of the road accident statistics, especially the accidents involving people who are run over by vehicle when crossing the street. Students should be educated about how to avoid or minimize the risk of such accidents and what safety steps they should follow to achieve that. Abdulaziz Al-Qahtani, a father, criticized the school and municipal offices in the area for their failure to ensure that the streets and roads near the school do not pose any risks and are safe for students. Schools must allocate waiting areas inside their yards and monitor such areas to make sure all students remain safe. He suggested that students and parents should be reminded of the importance of coming and leaving on time in order to avoid having or falling victim to accidents. Parents who pick up their children late should realize that they are jeopardizing the safety of their own flesh and blood.