Drivers urged to use caution around school buses

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – Law enforcement remind drivers of the rules of the road with school buses soon to be hitting the streets as kids are going back to school.

Sg. Clark Parrott with the Missouri State Highway Patrol officers safety advice when it comes to driving in a school zone and what to keep in mind when approaching a school bus.

“We need to know that we cannot pass the school bus,” said Parrott. “We cannot overtake a school bus as it approaches. If the stop arm is out and the stop sign is out and the lights are flashing, that’s a stop sign. That is a moving traffic signal so we have to stop. We cannot pass a school bus and we need to understand that those little kids may run out in front of traffic. So anytime you’re around a school, slow down. Schools have a speed limit of 15 to 20 miles an hour. ”

Approximately 25,000 children are injured and 100 are killed in school zone accidents each year, according to the Transportation Research Board.