By: Donovan W. Mann – donovanm@977thebolt.com
Humboldt, IA – Local law enforcement is reminding drivers to be more aware they get used to kids being back in school.
For a little more then a week now students in Humboldt and surrounding communities have been returning to school for the first time since mid-March. As a result school zones become busier with young foot traffic and school buses are back on the roads. Humboldt County Sheriff and City Police Administrator Dean Kruger reminds drivers to be more cautious as they are on the roads.
He says that this is especially true in school zones and when younger kids are present. While there are cross walks for everyone to use, the sheriff recognizes that sometimes “kids will run where ever they want to.” Sometimes kids will “dart” out from behind cars at a sudden moment as well and it’s important for drivers to just be extra aware while driving near the schools.
It is also important drivers be conscious of how fast they are going when driving through school zones. Kruger reminds drivers that the speed limit in the zones is 20 mile per hour. His recommendation is that drivers go slower than that because, again, it can be harder to predict when a student might come out from behind a car.
The return to school also means the return of daily school bus routes and the sheriff reminds drivers to be aware of the transports warning lights. He recalls a recent moment where he was coming from the east on Highway 3 near Humboldt. He says that as a bus was preparing to stop it began to flash it’s yellow hazards and one car rushed by while a semi-truck debated if it should pass. The sheriff says that when those yellow lights flash drivers should stop and not go again until the bus has the student safely on board and begins to roll again.
With the return to the class room for students in Humboldt and surrounding communities it is also important to return to top awareness behind the wheel. Local law enforcement reminds all drivers to be aware and look twice because the students are out there.