DeKALB – With classes set to start in DeKalb School District 428 in less than a week, DeKalb police are announcing extra patrols to combat school bus traffic violations.
Classes are set to begin Aug. 15, and police will be watching for vehicles approaching, overtaking and passing stopped school buses. Extra patrols also will be provided to school zones and bus stops in the community, according to a news release from the police department.
Police also want residents to remember safety and traffic rules when it comes to sharing the road with school buses, children who are walking, bicyclists or parents dropping their children off at school drop-off locations.
It is illegal in Illinois to pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children, and if the red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, traffic must stop.
Most children who lose their lives in bus-related incidents are between 4 and 7 years old and walking to or from the bus, according to the release.
Drivers also are warned not to block crosswalks at a stop sign or light and to obey crossing guards.
Bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as most vehicles on roads, the release said.
Parents or guardians dropping children off for school should only use the school drop-off locations, don’t double park and don’t unload children who then have to cross the street, the release said.
– Kelsey Rettke
Source: The Daily Chronicle
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