STATEWIDE, Ala. – with the start of a new school year, there are a few “gIvens” involved in your morning and afternoon plans, even if you don’t have kids in school. There will be more traffic on the roadways, as school busses, parents transporting children, and students licensed to drive will be making their way to and from school.
Crossing guards will be directing traffic at each school location during school traffic hours, in both the morning and afternoon hours throughout the school year. Police officers will be closely monitoring school traffic, particularly near these intersections to ensure that motorist is complying with the crossing guards, traffic control devices and state traffic laws – especially those involving traffic as school buses pick-up and drop-off students along their routes.
Every year the first few days of school bring excitement for the students and faculty, as well as a certain amount of aggravation to those who are trying to get to work during the increased traffic that comes with the start of school. In a couple of days, everyone will readjust to the flow of traffic and the fact that we have more vehicles on the roadway during these times. Be patient, drive defensively with the understanding that there will be more traffic during these times and that many of them are inexperienced drivers. People trying to get to work may want to leave a little earlier than normal to avoid becoming delayed, particularly during the morning traffic, maybe even selecting a new route to avoid school zones.