Back to the Books—Roadway Rules

Notebooks, markers and textbooks—oh my!

Parents are well aware that only one week remains until classes resume, first-day photos are snapped and backpacks are zipped up with the essentials. While you may not have children attending school this year, the beginning of school effects everyone on roadways. Have you ever wondered exactly when that 15 miles per hour speed limit applies? Or when you can legally pass a slow-moving school bus?

Refresh your memory before the school year starts. 

Get in the zone. Reduced speeds and high vigilance—school zones should be respected at all times.

• School zone speed limits are in effect when flashers are blinking, requiring drivers to reduce speed substantially, usually to between 15 and 25 miles per hour.
• School zones always require vigilance, whether the lights are flashing or not. Not all children head home after classes. Think marching band, theater practice and football drills. Some high school students are allowed to leave school midday for lunch.
• Never change lanes or pass another vehicle in a school zone.
• Unless licensed to do so, you should avoid using handicap or emergency vehicle areas to drop off or pick up children at school.

Beware of the bus. Refresh your big yellow bus etiquette with these guidelines from the National Safety Council.

• It is illegal in all 50 states to pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children.
• If you're driving behind a bus, allow a greater following distance than if you were driving behind a car. It will give you more time to stop once the yellow lights start flashing.
• Never pass a bus from behind—or from either direction if you're on an undivided road—if it is stopped to load or unload children.
• If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, traffic must stop.
• The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them space to safely enter and exit the bus.
• Be alert: Children often are unpredictable and tend to ignore hazards and take risks.

Don’t cross the line. Keep crosswalks safe.

• Not all school areas have crossing guards. As you drive through your city or town this week, make a mental note of crosswalk locations, mentally preparing yourself for increased pedestrian traffic in those areas.
• Do not encroach on a crosswalk when stopping at a stop sign or red light. This could force pedestrians to walk around you and into the path of moving traffic.

As always—stay alert. Don’t text. Don’t check the weather app. Don’t read a quick email. Don't make a call.

Keep your phone down, your head up and your roadways safe.