Heads-up urged in school zones

SANDPOINT — The Sandpoint Police Department is reminding motorists to exercise patience in and around school zones as another school year gets underway on Tuesday.

The speed limit in school zones is reduced to 20 mph.

Here are some additional reminders:

n Watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood. Look for children playing and congregating near bus stops.

Cover the brake pedal with your foot while scanning the road for kids when entering a marked school zone.

Remember to always come to a complete stop at stop signs, checking carefully for children on sidewalks and in crosswalks before proceeding.

n Yield to school buses. Exercise caution when approaching a school bus or driving near bus stops.

Never pass a school bus while its lights are flashing and children are entering or exiting the bus. Yellow flashing lights indicate that the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. You should slow down and prepare to stop. Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm indicate that the bus has stopped, and that children are getting on or off.

Motorists must stop their cars and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop sign is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving before they can start driving again.

You may also have to stop if traveling in the opposite direction of the bus and it has stopped with red flashing lights, depending on the circumstances and laws in your state.

Also, don’t tailgate a bus as they make frequent and often sudden stops (Rule of thumb: stay far enough back that you can see the driver in the bus rear-view mirror).

Finally, when school buses are trying to merge back into traffic, you must give them the right of way.

Any person found guilty of violating bus stop arms rules can be fined between $100-$500.

n Be alert and eliminate distractions be aware that children often behave unpredictably, so keep an eye out for kids darting into the street or crossing without first looking both ways for traffic.

On streets without crossing guards, pay special attention to children trying to cross the street.

Be especially careful on streets without sidewalks or streets with on-street parking as it may be hard to notice a child emerging from behind a car.

n Watch for bicycles. Children on bikes are often inexperienced, unsteady and unpredictable. Slow down and allow at least three feet of passing distance between your vehicle and the bicycle. Always keep an eye out for bicyclists in hot spots like marked school zones, bike lanes and near bus stops.