“We are going to be out looking for those drivers who may be driving in an aggressive manner and not paying attention to the fact that school is back in,” he said.
Motorists should give themselves extra time during their commute as students, parents and bus drivers settle into their routines.
“We just want to remind everyone out there that you really just need to be patient and put a little extra time in your day,” Cairns said. “There’s going to be children that don’t know where the school bus is; there’s going to be school buses that are still working out their routes.”
Two things drivers should pay close attention to are school zones and buses picking up and dropping off children.
“Twenty miles an hour is 20 miles an hour,” Cairns said of school zones. “Sometimes we get people asking, ‘Well can I go 25? Can I go 30 in that zone?’ and the answer is no. It’s 20 miles an hour for a reason.”
Police will enforce school zone speed limits and have photo enforcement in some school zones, he added.
Passing a school bus with its lights and stop sign activated is another common issue as students return to school.
“That is a zero-tolerance offense,” Cairns said. “If you’re caught passing a school bus you will be cited. It is a mandatory court appearance and then it’s up to the judge at that point what they do at the court.”
If a driver is unsure of if they can legally pass a school bus, they should wait, he added.
Kettering police posted a reminder on Facebook earlier this week about passing buses.
If a school bus is stopped on a street with four or more lanes, only traffic flowing in the same direction as the bus must stop, according to the post.
About the Author