TxDOT Safety Tips As New School Year Starts

As millions of Texas children head back to school, the Texas Department of Transportation is reminding drivers to stay focused and drive safe in and around school zones and bus stops.

Everyone has a responsibility to keep children safe on their way to and from school. TxDOT offers these safety tips for drivers, parents and students.

Be aware that traffic patterns around schools may have changed since the last school year.

Stay alert and put your phone away. Using a electronic device while driving in an active school zone is against the law.

Always obey school zone speed limit signs. Remember, traffic fines increase in school zones.

Drop off and pick up your children in your school’s designated areas, not the middle of the street.

Keep an eye on children gathered at bus stops.

Watch for children who might dart across the street or between vehicles.

Be Safe. Drive Smart.” is a key component of #EndTheStreakTX, a broader social media and word-of-mouth effort that encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel to help end the streak of daily deaths.

Nov. 7, 2000, was the last deathless day on Texas roadways.