Police urge “Back to School Safety”
Written by admin, Aug 25, 2013, Comments Off
Courtesy Joe Baeza,
(Laredo, Tx)- With the start of a new school year beginning Monday August 26th, the Laredo Police Department would like to remind the community of a few traffic safety laws. The LPD will have additional officers monitoring areas around the schools and along bus routes.
Drivers should be vigilant of buses that are loading and unloading students. By Texas law, if a bus is stopped and activates its red light, all traffic must stop coming from all directions. This is important for the safety of our school students.
Drivers should allow extra commute time in the morning and be prepared for changes along their normal driving routes. With the beginning of school, there will be children and parents at bus stops along the roadways. Additionally, in areas around the schools, drivers should expect additional pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
Drivers should also know that the use of any mobile hand held device is also prohibited in school zones by order of city ordinance Section 19-223. A person convicted of an offense under this section shall be punished by a fine of up to two hundred dollars. Less distraction in vehicles means safer streets for our school students.
There were over 42,000 students in UISD schools alone in the 2012- 2013 school year. This along with the over 25,000 enrolled in LISD campuses will certainly add substantial traffic to the commutes within the City of Laredo.
Please remember to slow down and help us as we work to keep students and roadways safe in Laredo.
