North Texas drivers need back-to-school reminders, too

It happens every year: The number of crashes in school zones is at its highest in September and October, the first two full months of the school calendar.

“It’s a period of adjustments, and people have kind of forgotten how to drive [in school zones] during the summer,” said Val Lopez, the North Texas spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation.

Most North Texas schools start classes Monday, meaning drivers will have to adhere to lower speeds in school zones and use caution near buses for the first time in nearly three months.

They have plenty of incentive to do so. School-zone speeding tickets cost more than regular tickets, starting at $25 more in Fort Worth and $55 more in Arlington.

And statewide, drivers who illegally pass school buses can be fined up to $1,250 for a first-time offense, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Last year, there were 81 school-zone crashes in Texas in September and 80 in October, Lopez said. Those numbers declined each month the rest of the school year — there were 61 crashes in school zones by May — for a total of 671 crashes.

“The No. 1 contributing factor was driver inattention, followed by speeding and not yielding or stopping,” Lopez said. “The distraction thing is obvious — put your cellphone away. Cellphone use is banned in active school zones. It’s safer to put it away.”

While there aren’t any new laws going into effect this year, here are a few useful reminders for drivers and students:

▪ Police in Arlington, Bedford and Watauga are known for aggressively cracking down on cellphone use in school zones. “Our Traffic Unit always steps up patrols the first couple weeks during the initial start of schools,” said Lt. Chris Cook, Arlington police spokesman. Fort Worth police also increase the number of patrol officers near school zones at the beginning of the year, said Officer Daniel Segura, police spokesman.

Segura recommended that parents give themselves an extra 10-15 minutes each morning to get familiar with drop-off zones near schools.

▪ It may sound simple, Lopez said, but always obey school crossing guards, whether you’re a driver or a student. In Fort Worth, which includes several school districts, the crossing guards are hired and trained by police.

▪ State law bans passing a bus that is loading or unloading children on the roadside. The most common way to determine whether passengers are being boarded or disembarking is if the bus is displaying an outstretched stop sign and/or flashing red lights.

It’s OK to pass the bus parked on the side of the road if the outstretched sign and red lights aren’t activated, or if the bus driver motions for motorists to pass.

Also, motorists on a divided highway can continue to drive if a bus is loading or unloading passengers on the opposite side of the road. But keep in mind that it must have a raised median separating the directions of traffic.

MedStar tweeted out a helpful graphic Sunday explaining the law:

Not only can drivers face hefty fines for illegally passing buses, they can get their license suspended for up to six months for repeat offenses, according to Texas DPS.

▪ School bus drivers are required to stop, open their doors and listen for an oncoming train before proceeding over railroad tracks, which can happen often with hundreds of railroad crossings in North Texas.

Buses belonging to the Fort Worth Transportation Authority also stop at railroad crossings, but school buses are far more prominent on Metroplex roads during morning and afternoon rush hours.

This report contains information from the Star-Telegram archives.

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This story was originally published August 21, 2016 at 4:57 PM with the headline "North Texas drivers need back-to-school reminders, too."