School Zone Signs Indicate
As school starts back up again across the country, drivers are reminded to be especially attentive in areas near schools. This includes obeying all posted traffic laws, watching out for children crossing the road and paying attention to signals from school busses and crossing guards. In addition, knowing what do school zone signs indicate is a critical part of safe driving. Here are some of the most common school traffic signs and what they mean:
A reduced speed limit sign indicates that a lower speed is in effect during school hours. These are generally found on roads that lead to a school or around the outside of a school property. This reduces the risk of pedestrians being hit by passing cars and allows more time for kids to cross the street before or after class.
These are usually five-sided signs that say School Signs and often have a pictogram of both a school bus and a red stop sign on the sign face. These are meant to warn drivers that a school bus is in the vicinity and to slow down. The background of these signs is typically fluorescent yellow-green to help them stand out. You will also see these signs on multi-lane highways where the center median is not used.
What Do School Zone Signs Indicate?
This type of sign is meant to tell drivers that if a school bus stops with its signal flashing, all traffic must stop. This is to help ensure the safety of passengers getting on and off the bus. This type of school bus stop signal is only used when a school bus is stopping to load or unload passengers. This will usually be accompanied by a school bus warning light and a flashing stop sign on the side of the road to further alert drivers.
A school zone can be any area around a school that has high concentrations of school-generated traffic. It can include the roadways and sidewalks directly around a school, as well as a few blocks on each side of the school where there are high numbers of school-generated pedestrians. School zone pavement markings and other traffic calming measures may be used in a school zone as well to remind drivers to drive safely in the area.
School zone signs are also in place to prevent illegal activity like drug and weapon possession in school zones. You will notice these signs in many different forms, but they will all feature a picture of a gun and drugs with a red circle drawn through them. These are available in a variety of materials but are typically made out of reflective aluminum. They are also often seen in a bilingual form to accommodate a growing number of multilingual families.
Drivers should always pay close attention to school zones and be prepared to slow down in these areas. Children are not as aware of the dangers of passing traffic as adults and can be unpredictable in their movements. By following these simple rules, drivers can help keep kids safe and avoid hefty fines.
