Make back-to-school season safe for all

As children head back to the classroom this week in the Flathead Valley, there's the promise of a fresh year ahead for students, teachers and parents.  

While the back-to-school season is a time of excitement, it is also a time to think about safety — it’s imperative that all students get to and from school safe and sound.  

Parents should talk to students about safe walking routes and the importance of looking both ways before crossing the street. Drivers should follow school zone speed limits, obey crossing guards, remain alert for pedestrians, particularly near schools, and follow traffic laws near bus stops.  

As the Montana Highway Patrol pointed out in a release issued last week, drivers should be mindful by slowing down, paying attention to changing speed limits and refraining from passing a school bus that is stopped.   

“As the school year begins, we want to remind everyone who is sharing our roads to do so in a safe manner,” Montana Highway Patrol Col. Kurt Sager said. “By obeying traffic laws and signals while in school zones, and allowing extra time in the morning, and during pick up, you can help ensure everyone makes it to and from school safely." 

From 2023-2024, there were a total of 144 school bus violations, 80 citations, and 29 warnings issued across the state to those who failed to obey school bus traffic laws. 

Reckless driving penalties for drivers who pass, in either direction, a stopped school bus that is displaying the visual flashing red signal include a $285 fine for a first offense and a $785 for a second offense. 

The highway patrol says motorists should keep these traffic laws in mind when approaching a school bus: 

• Prepare to slow down when you see the amber/yellow flashing lights. Stop 30 feet from a stopped school bus when it is flashing red lights. 

• When a school bus is stopped at a four-way intersection, vehicles can’t turn left, turn right, or pass the school bus. 

• When the stop arm is out on a school bus and there is a raised median, all traffic traveling in the same direction as the bus must stop. 

• When the stop arm is out on a school bus on a non-divided highway or two-lane road, traffic traveling in all directions must stop within 30 feet of the bus. 

As students step through the school doors, we’re elated at the opportunity ahead for them to engage in meaningful learning and dive into new adventures. Let’s all do our part to make sure they make it to the classroom safely.