Police remind drivers to be extra careful as school starts

CEDAR PARK, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - With school soon to be back in session for many districts, local law enforcement officers are urging drivers to be extra careful on the roads. 

“A ton of buses will be out starting Thursday,” said Cedar Park police officer Rodney Wilk.

Students aren't the only ones playing catch up after coming back from summer vacation. According to Cedar Park police, drivers tend to forget a couple things when hitting the roads. 

“Starting this week here in Cedar Park, and I’m assuming in Austin next week, there will be a heavy or higher presence of police officers in and around school zones during those times,” said Wilk.

One of the most common things Wilk sees when school starts is drivers passing school buses which have stopped to pick up or drop off kids.

“Children have a sense of invincibility about them, and they don't really take into consideration that traffic is moving or what a car or truck can do to them, so they'll dart out into traffic without even thinking and that could be deadly,” said Wilk.

When a school bus stops and its lights are flashing, all lanes of traffic in both directions must come to a complete stop whether it's two lanes or multiple. An exception is if there is a median separating you and the bus.

The other issue Wilk sees is speeding in school zones. 

“They (drivers) are not used to those school zones being active they've gotten two months of no lights so they'll forget the first week or so,” said Wilk.