The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) reminds drivers to be on high alert as children head back to school.

Law enforcement officers will be targeting motorists who fail to follow all traffic laws, including speed limits in school zones, yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks and passing school buses when their lights are flashing and stop arms are extended.

To help keep students safer on West Virginia roadways, the GHSP reminds drivers of these tips:

• Slow down. Watch for children gathering near bus stops.
• Obey the speed limit around schools. Watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood.
• When driving in neighborhoods with school zones, watch for students who may be focusing on getting to school instead of focusing on where they are walking.
• Be alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic.
• When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch for students walking or bicycling to school.
• Yellow flashing lights indicate that the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload students. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop.
• Red flashing lights and/or extended stop arms signal that the bus has stopped and that students are getting on or off. Drivers MUST stop their vehicles and wait until the red lights stop flashing.

“We encourage motorists to be especially vigilant around school zones and stopped school buses in traffic,” said GHSP Director Jack McNeely. “Illegally passing a school bus not only carries legal consequences, but it could also be a matter of life and death for a child.”

“Please slow down and exercise extreme caution when driving around schools or school buses. Remember: Red Means Stop. Be safe and know the danger zone,” McNeely concluded.

New NHTSA data shows that 104 people died in school-transportation-related crashes in 2022. From 2013 to 2022 more than 1,000 people died in school-transportation-related crashes; 198 of those were children age 18 and younger. Of those children killed, 40% were occupants of other vehicles, 38% were pedestrians, 18% were occupants of school transportation vehicles, 3% were bicyclists and 1% were using personal devices such as skateboards, scooters and wheelchairs.

To contact the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.