Tomorrow morning Bullitt County students head back to school for the 2018-2019 school year. In an effort to keep kids safe to and from school, Hillview Police will be in school zones focusing on school zone speed limits, child passenger restraint laws, seat belts, texting while driving and passing/stopping for school buses.

What can you do to help ensure our school zones are safe this school year? Hillview Police are are offering the following suggestions:

• Please be patient! Impatience leads to aggressive driving, rude or unwarranted behavior, pedestrian and bicycle collisions and it creates traffic gridlock. Remember, everyone has the same goal in mind, to get our children safely to and from school. Also, remember the habits you exhibit in your driving and demeanor are typically passed on to your children when they start driving.
• Give yourself plenty of time in the morning! As traffic volumes and congestion on the roadways increase, so does the length of time it takes to travel to your destination. Giving yourself more time by leaving earlier reduces stress, increases your awareness and improves your driving. Obey the posted speed limit signs and directional signs. These signs assist in the traffic flow into and out of the schools and assist in the safety of the students who walk and bike to school. One misplaced car can disrupt the traffic flow and the safety of students.
• Watch and obey the school crossing guards. Crossing guards are provided to assist with school traffic and the safe street crossing of your students. Be on the lookout, be prepared to stop, and be prepared to follow their directions so our children can get to and from school safely.
• If you are driving your children to school, have them ready to leave the car, with all of their belongings, when you come to a stop at the school. Backups and delays are caused when children have to get their backpacks and other items from the trunk or back seat of a car. Explore other alternatives such as carpool, ride-sharing, walking, or biking to school.

Where there are school buses, there are usually children. Children are likely to do something unexpected, so be prepared. Per Kentucky Revised Statute 189.370, when you come to a school bus that is stopped on any roadway to load or unload passengers, you must STOP. All motorist must remained stopped until all people are cleared off the roadway and the bus is in motion. A stop is NOT required when approaching a stopped school bus from the opposite direction upon a highway of four or more lanes.

However, a STOP is required when following a school bus that is stopped on a two-lane road or you are going in the opposite direction of the bus on a highway that has less than four lanes, as they are generally not divided.