Last year drivers had 877 crashes in Texas school zones. That’s a 12% increase over the year before.
Two people died in those crashes, and according to TxDOT, those crashes were primarily caused by speeding and distracted driving.
Transportation officials across Texas are hoping to turn that trend around.
Jill Christie, an Abilene Traffic Specialist with the Texas Department of Transportation, says drivers should be especially cautious during drop-off and pickup, when children may be crossing unexpectedly.
"They're excited to get back to seeing their friends at the beginning of the day, right, or maybe they're ready to get home, or maybe they see their parent or caregiver across the street and just take off, and so, as you are driving through a school zone, whether you're dropping off your own kid or picking up your own kid or just driving through, just slow down and pay attention.”
Christie says drivers should also expect school traffic patterns and drop-off procedures to change from year to year. Last year, there were 15 crashes in school zones across the Abilene District, a reminder of why drivers need to stay alert.
"We talked about this earlier… The most common factors contributing to crashes is distracted driving and speeding, and it is against the law to be on your phone in a school zone.”
And it is costly to break the rules in school zones. Drivers caught using their phones in active school zones face a 200 dollar fine, plus court costs. Speeding fines range from 200 to more than 500 dollars. And passing a stopped school bus can cost the offending driver more than 12 hundred dollars.
While TxDOT is focused on drivers, Abilene ISD is preparing its transportation system for the new school year. And Tina Jones, transportation director for Abilene ISD, says they need families to complete the district's new transportation application.
“Lots of school districts are going toward the direction of a transportation application just to help in the processing and planning and making sure we have an adequate amount of bus drivers and deciding on routes.”
AISD has posted the application on the Transportation page of the district’s website. The population is always shifting, and that means adjusting routes. But officials say there’s not a significant influx of new students tied to the temporary data-center workers that have arrived in the past year.
Tina Jones says parents can also help keep everyone safe by preparing their kids before the first day of school.
“I would also say a good thing to do would be to go out and practice with the students where their bus stop is. And practice letting them know this is what it looks like, this is what you need to do, don't run out in front of the bus, this is where you need to stand.”
That advice applies to families with students at public and private schools.
Seventh-grader Piper Pyle, who attends Abilene Christian Schools, says she uses the safely rules she learned when she was little.
“I look left, right, left just to make sure that there's like no cars coming.”
Pyle says she rides to school with her dad each morning and believes drivers need to be especially aware around schools because they're sharing the road with students and other families.
TxDOT’s Jill Christie says whether you're dropping off your own child or just driving through a school zone, every decision behind the wheel matters.
"Drive like your kids are crossing the road."
As students head back to school, officials say families can help by doing some preparation at home. And they ask drivers to exercise a little extra patience behind the wheel, and keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road. All of which can go a long way toward helping reduce the number of crashes in Texas school zones.