SAN ANGELO, TX - The Tom Green County Sheriff's Office is reminding residents to exercise extra caution in school zones and around school buses as the school year begins.
Sheriff J. Nick Hanna stated the start of the school year is a busy time for the community. Students return to class, teachers implement new lesson plans, and administrators address budgets, bus routes, staffing and safety concerns. Parents coordinate work and school schedules, arrange carpools and support students' activities. Businesses equip families, teachers and administrators with needed supplies.
Drivers should slow down and increase stopping distances for potential hazards around schools and in neighborhoods where children play, especially in the morning and early afternoon.
School buses are returning to the roads. Motorists should be aware of bus routes in neighborhoods and along daily travel paths, allow plenty of time and space for buses, anticipate delays and leave early to avoid rushing. When approaching a school zone or school bus, be prepared to stop for the bus and pedestrian traffic.
Yellow flashing lights indicate a bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children; drivers should slow down and prepare to stop. Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm mean the bus has stopped and children are boarding or exiting. Drivers must stop and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn and the bus begins moving before proceeding.
Never attempt to pass a school bus while the stop arm is extended and red lights are flashing; it is illegal. Illegal passings pose a significant threat to children and others on the road. Children wait at least several feet from a bus and often cross the street when boarding or getting off.
For more information on school bus safety, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Hanna thanked those who help make the education system an integral, positive force in the community.
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