CARMEL — With students returning to class this week, Carmel police and school officials are reminding drivers to slow down, stay alert, and take school zone safety seriously.
Officers are out in full force, double-checking school zone lights and monitoring traffic to ensure children get to and from school safely.
“We have a lot more foot traffic through the areas, especially in schools,” said Officer Darby Morris of the Carmel Police Department.
“You can expect a heavier presence of officers in the area patrolling, whether that's the school zones themselves or maybe following around bus routes," she added.
Student safety is a top priority for Carmel Clay Schools, and like other districts across the state, it has installed cameras on school buses to catch drivers who illegally pass when students are loading or unloading.
“We will take those numbers, and our police department will issue tickets, and the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office will prosecute based on video footage,” said Gary Clevenger, director of transportation for Carmel Clay Schools.
Clevenger emphasized that school zones play a crucial role in keeping students safe.
“The reason school zones exist is because there are a lot more road crossings that are occurring in that area. There’s children from neighborhoods across the street,” he said. “Heaven forbid, if we had a kid, who ran for whatever reason, we want everyone to be going slow enough that they could stop in case there’s anything that suddenly happens.”
Morris urged drivers to stay focused.
“We just need to remember that we're avoiding the distractions on the road,” she said.
Veteran school bus driver Deb Taylor, who transports students of all ages, also shared a personal plea to drivers.
“We have a lot of kids on board, and how would they feel if their kids were on the bus, and other drivers were to pass the school bus, or not pay attention to the rules while their kid is on the bus?” Taylor asked.
As the new school year begins, officials hope drivers will take extra care to protect students.
“Rather than just seeing an annoyance, we would love for them to see an incredibly precious asset,” Clevenger said.
