In the coming days students will be returning to school for the 2016-2017 school year. This will result in a large number of buses on the roads, children walking to school, new bus stop locations, new bus routes, congestion in and around the schools, new student drivers and many other factors to be aware of as our kids return to the classroom.
On Friday, August 05, 2016 the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, Evansville Police Department and Indiana State Police held a joint news conference at North High School to announce increased Back to School traffic enforcement. Area law enforcement agencies will be stepping up presence and enforcement around schools and along bus routes to help make sure this school year gets off to a safe start. In particular, extra enforcement is scheduled for August 10 and 11 near many of our schools and along major thoroughfares. Sheriff’s deputies, police officers and state troopers will be watching for speeding, unsafe driving behavior, monitoring bus routes for safety issues and enforcing school bus stop arm violations.
Sheriff Dave Wedding explained, “This added law enforcement presence will function as both a deterrent and a reminder to slow down and pay attention. Having personnel stationed near our schools also puts us in a position to respond immediately to any situations that may arise.â€
Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation schools will begin their first day on Wednesday, August 10, 2016. Corpus Christi School begins on Thursday, August 04, 2016. Resurrection Catholic School and St. Joseph School both begin their first day on Friday, August 12, 2016.
Tips for back to school safety:
- If bus service is available, please utilize it.
- Please take pictures of your new student before you get to the school. Do not park in the drop-off zones of any of the schools to take your child into class.
- Utilize the proper restraint systems in your vehicle.
- Keep your speed to a minimum and pay extra attention in an around school zones and near school bus loading areas.
- Know when a school bus stops and its red stop sign or flashing lights appear children are boarding or exiting the bus. Be on the lookout for children crossing the street even after the bus has moved on.
- Please, no cell phone use in the school zones while operating a vehicle and no texting at any time while operating a vehicle.
- Encourage children getting on and off school buses to be very mindful of surrounding traffic, because the traffic may not be watching for them.
- Give yourself plenty of time. Do not let the frustration of running late compromise the good driving decisions you make.
- Please call 911 to report dangerous driving situations.
Next week’s Back to School traffic enforcement comes in advance of a statewide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” blitz, which is scheduled to run from August 12 through September 05, 2016. Enhanced local traffic safety enforcement is made possible by funding provided by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) through a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
