HomeMy WebLinkAbout090215_Back to school safety
website: rentonwa.gov
City of Renton - 1055 South Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057
September 2, 2015
For more information contact:
Preeti Shridhar, Deputy Public Affairs Administrator, 425-430-6569
Back to School Week in Renton
Use Extra Caution When School is in Session
RENTON: Students in the Renton School District are heading back to class this week, and the City of
Renton encourages extra caution in school zones for motorists and pedestrians. School zone flashing
beacons and speed cameras have been installed throughout the district. Reduced speed zones protect
and improve the safety of children walking to and from school. The difference between 20 mph and 26
mph is twenty-six feet of stopping distance. With children walking in the area, those twenty-six feet
could mean the difference between life and death.
Signs at the schools alert drivers that cameras are in use. Vehicles exceeding the speed limit through
the school zones will be photographed, and those images will be reviewed by Ren ton Police to
determine if a citation is warranted. The cameras will operate when the school beacons are flashing.
Safety reminders include:
Stop and yield to pedestrians crossing the crosswalk or intersection in a school zone when
flashers are blinking
Always stop for a school patrol officer or crossing guard holding up a stop sign
Never pass a vehicle stopped for pedestrians
Watch for bikes coming from driveways or behind parked cars
Never pass a bus from behind or from either direction if you're on an undivided road – if it is
stopped to load or unload children
Always stop if the yellow or red lights on the bus are flashing and the stop arm is extended
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