Crossing guards prepare for wet roadways and dangerous driving habits of commuters

Crossing guards across the Central Coast who have seen overnight rainfall are likely preparing for a shift with skiddish drivers as a result.

Santa Cruz crossing guards say they already have problems at various areas of the city with people trying to speed through school zones.

Over at Bay and Seaside Street, Jerry Cacace has seen a lot of close calls and wants drivers to understand how busy it gets in that area during his shift.

As far as a quick fix to the speeding? Cacace says it’s not as simple as it seems over on Bay and Seaside.

“People want a stop sign, but you can’t because this is a main road for truckers and everything,” he says. “People want speed bumps too but we can’t. And so we have other means to try and slow them down.”

Cacace spends the early morning hours before his shift putting up bright signs and cones for people to obey as they drive through school zones.

Unfortunately he has noticed not many drivers follow the rules of the road when it comes to school zones.

Other crossing guards have noticed this, too. Including Steve Fuehrer over on Morrissey and Pacheco.

“I’m just watching every single car every single time,” he says. “So when my kids come I can make sure they get across this street safely.”

Just down the street is Christine Lundquist, who described an incident she witnessed just this week involving a vehicle and a teacher.

“A parent almost ran over one of our teachers,” Lundquist says. “This is something that goes on every day and not just when it’s raining. It’s one of the pet peeves of mine.”

Cacace says he does his best to take note of those speeding past him while he’s trying to do his job, considering crossing guards are ultimately considered “stop signs” as they work their shift.

He also tries to make sure the kids are equipped with the proper safety gear as well.

Overall they tell drivers to keep in mind the traffic laws in the area. Take things slow, use your turn signal and if you turn on your windshield wipers, your headlights should be on as well.

“And don’t be in a rush,” adds Fuehrer. “Those extra two seconds just aren’t worth it.”