Every school morning in Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge looks the same: parents double-parked, kids darting between cars, drivers late for work and trying to get through. Most days nothing happens. The day something does, a family’s life changes in a second.

This guide covers the California rules that apply around schools, and what parents should do if their child is hit while walking.

What is the speed limit in a California school zone?

Vehicle Code section 22352 sets a 25 mph prima facie limit when approaching or passing a school building or its grounds that are next to the highway and posted with a standard “SCHOOL” warning sign, while children are going to or leaving school during school hours or the noon recess.

The same 25 mph limit applies when passing school grounds that are not separated from the road by a fence, gate, or other barrier while the grounds are in use by children and the road is posted with a “SCHOOL” sign. Those signs may be placed up to 500 feet from school grounds.

“Prima facie” means the limit is presumed safe under normal conditions. It is not a license to drive 25 mph when the conditions call for less. Fog, a crowd of kids at the curb, or a bus unloading can all make 25 mph too fast. Local signs may also set different limits under other provisions of the Vehicle Code, so read the posted signs.

Do drivers have to obey crossing guards?

Yes. Vehicle Code section 2815 makes it an infraction to disregard a traffic signal or direction given by a nonstudent school crossing guard who is wearing official insignia and is protecting someone crossing near a school, or returning to a place of safety afterward.

Crossing guards are not just a courtesy. A driver who rolls past a guard’s stop sign is breaking the law, and that violation can be powerful evidence of negligence in a civil claim.

Who has the right-of-way when a child is in a crosswalk?

Vehicle Code section 21950 requires drivers to yield to pedestrians crossing in marked crosswalks and unmarked crosswalks at intersections. Drivers approaching a pedestrian in a crosswalk must use all due care and slow down or take other action needed to keep the pedestrian safe.

Pedestrians also have duties. A pedestrian may not suddenly leave the curb into the path of a car so close it is an immediate hazard. But the law expects drivers to anticipate that children behave like children, especially near a school. A driver who sees kids on the sidewalk should be ready for one of them to step out.

What are the common causes of school-zone crashes?

From what we see in the communities we serve, the patterns repeat:

  • Speeding through the zone, often by drivers using residential streets as a shortcut.
  • Distraction: phones, navigation screens, or turning to talk with kids in the back seat.
  • Drop-off and pick-up chaos: double-parking, U-turns, and backing up in tight spaces.
  • Blocked sightlines: a stopped SUV hides a child crossing in front of it, and the next driver passes it.
  • Ignoring crossing guards or rolling through stop signs.

Responsibility is not always limited to the driver. Depending on the facts, a public entity may share responsibility for a dangerous road design, missing signs, or broken crosswalk markings. Those claims have short government-claim deadlines.

My child was hit by a car. What should I do?

1. Get medical care immediately. Children may not describe their symptoms well. Head injuries and internal injuries can be hidden at first. Follow up with your pediatrician even if the ER visit was brief.

2. Call the police. Ask for a report and the report number. In Glendale, that is usually Glendale Police. In La Cañada Flintridge, law enforcement is provided through the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

3. Get the driver’s information and the names and phone numbers of witnesses: other parents, the crossing guard, and school staff.

4. Photograph the scene: signs, crosswalk markings, where the car stopped, and your child’s injuries over the following days.

5. Ask about video quickly. Nearby homes, businesses, buses, and sometimes the school may have cameras. Footage is often overwritten within days.

6. Do not let your child give a statement to an insurance adjuster. And do not sign anything from an insurer on your child’s behalf without advice.

7. Keep a simple record of missed school, therapy, sleep problems, and fears about walking or riding in cars.

Can a parent just settle a child’s injury claim?

Not on their own. In California, a settlement of a minor’s injury claim generally needs court approval. Probate Code section 3500 allows a parent to compromise a minor’s disputed claim, but the compromise is valid only after a superior court approves it on a petition. When a lawsuit has been filed, Code of Civil Procedure section 372 lets a guardian ad litem compromise the claim with the court’s approval.

The court reviews the settlement to protect the child, and money for the child is often placed where it cannot be withdrawn without a court order. This is one reason to involve a lawyer early. An insurer’s quick release form does not replace that process.

How long do families have to bring a claim?

For a child, deadlines can work differently than for adults, and claims against government entities have their own early deadlines. Do not rely on general rules of thumb. Get advice about your specific situation soon after the crash, while the evidence is fresh.

How can neighbors help slow traffic?

Safer streets start with drivers who slow down. Advo Law runs a community “Please Slow Down” lawn-sign program for residential streets. If you would like a sign for your street, you can request one here.

Talk With Advo Law

If your child was hurt on foot near a school in Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, or elsewhere in California, we can walk you through your options. See our pedestrian accidents, La Cañada Flintridge, and Glendale pages, or reach us through our contact page.

Contact Advo Law, APC
Phone: (800) 808-4613
Contact page

Glendale: 111 E. Broadway, Suite 210, Glendale, CA 91205
La Cañada Flintridge: 1433 Foothill Blvd., Suite 207, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011

Contingency fee representation. Statewide California.

This article is general information about California law, not legal advice about your specific situation. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Attorney advertising.