According to Clotworthy, the Highway Patrol began increasing patrol and enforcement in school zones the first day of school and will continue its vigilant tactics around schools and residential areas.

“The public needs to be aware that school is back in session and that it is essential to slow down driving past schools when children are present,” he said. “Our primary concern is the safety of children coming and going to and from school, and the best way for us to ensure their safety is strict enforcement of the 25-mph school zone speed limit,” he said.

The streets around Isla Vista School, Foothill School, La Colina Junior High and San Marcos High School have been designated double-fine zones; motorists caught speeding near these schools could face fines close to $200, Clotworthy noted.

He also stressed how very influential parents’ opinions are for their children, and how critical it is for parents to talk seriously to daughters and sons periodically throughout the school year about pedestrian and bicycle safety: crossing the street correctly, riding bicycles on the right side of the road and complying with state helmet laws, which require students riding bicycles or skateboards to school wear safety helmets.

Anytime a vehicle driver approaches a school bus with its red lights flashing, Clotworthy said, state law requires that the driver stop and remain stopped until the red lights are no longer on. (This does not apply on divided or multiple-lane highways.) Any driver caught passing a school bus with its red lights flashing faces a maximum fine of approximately $250, he said, and for a second offense, the maximum fine increases to approximately $500.

-Martha Lannan