Sheriff Urges Safety for Back to School

Stephens County students return to school tomorrow (Friday) and the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind motorists to slow down and remember basic safety tips when heading to and from school. Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley reminds drivers to drive defensively and be focused and aware. “Be on alert and expect the unexpected.” Says Shirley; “We want you to leave your home early enough to arrive at your destination. We will be working the highways adding additional deputies to be on the lookout for speeding motorists. We will be following the school buses to make sure everybody obeys the law and is stopping for the bus stops.”

Shirley encourages drivers to follow these basic safety tips for back to school:

Pay extra attention to your speed. Watch for school zones, and slow down when you see a bus.

Pay attention to children who are waiting for a bus. Children may run into the street without looking.

Stop when the bus displays flashing red warning lights and slow down when the bus driver activates the flashing yellow lights.

Never pass on the right side of the bus where children enter or exit. This is illegal.

Be aware of crosswalk locations and children preparing to use them, and be especially careful when driving on neighborhood streets and around school zones.

Shirley adds that if your child rides a school bus make sure they are prepared and ready. “We want to ask parents if they will get them out to the bus stop a few minutes early before the bus arrives. Students should never, ever walk in front of the school bus until the driver has given the signal to cross. If the child was to drop something and it goes under the bus, please do not pick it up until the bus driver has been alerted.”

Some other bus safety rules Shirley says parents should remind their children are:

Do not play in the street while waiting for the bus.

Do not shout or distract the bus driver unnecessarily.

After getting off the bus, move into the sidewalk and out of traffic.

Have a safe place to wait for the bus away from the street.

Shirley reminds motorists that there is a lot of road construction going on in parts of the county and drivers should be a good role model for others by making the right safety choices on your way to and from school.