JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 As students across several Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia counties return to class, local law enforcement is asking drivers to slow down and stay alert around schools.<\/p>\n
Most of Southeast Georgia has already returned to class, with Brantley, Camden, Pierce, Glynn and Ware counties back in session. Charlton County is the last Georgia district to start, with classes beginning Monday.<\/p>\n
In Florida, Bradford and Clay counties start Tuesday, while the rest of the region\u2019s counties \u2014 including Duval, St. Johns, Nassau, Putnam, Baker and Columbia \u2014 begin Monday.<\/p>\n
The Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office<\/a> said its Traffic Enforcement and Motor Units, along with community service officers and school crossing guards, will be out in force as the new school year begins, working to get students to and from the classroom safely.<\/p>\n >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<<\/a><\/p>\n Drivers should keep the following in mind as schools fill back up:<\/p>\n Know school zone hours: School zones are typically active 30 minutes before the start of school and 30 minutes after dismissal. When the lights are flashing, drivers should slow down, stay alert and watch for students walking or riding bikes.<\/p>\n Watch for crossing guards: Crossing guards are posted at nearly every school, identifiable by fluorescent vests and stop signs. Drivers should always yield to a guard signaling students across the street.<\/p>\n Put the phone down: Distracted driving is especially dangerous in school zones, where children can dart into the road unexpectedly. Drivers should avoid texting, scrolling or handling a phone while behind the wheel.<\/p>\n Come to a complete stop for school buses: When a bus has its red lights flashing and stop arm extended, traffic in both directions must stop, unless separated by a raised median or barrier, until the arm is retracted. <\/p>\n Avoid blocking crosswalks and bus loading zones: Drivers should never stop or park in a marked crosswalk, and should follow posted signage for designated drop-off and pick-up areas rather than idling in fire lanes or bus zones.<\/p>\n Consider the school bus: Riding the bus reduces the number of vehicles near schools, easing congestion during drop-off and pick-up.<\/p>\n Leave extra time: Traffic near schools is heaviest in the first few weeks of the year as families settle into new routines. Building in a few extra minutes can prevent the urge to speed or cut through a school zone.<\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/a>]<\/p>\n Drivers without children in school are asked to be patient – the first two weeks of the school year tend to be the busiest on the roads. Commuters who pass near schools should expect delays and plan extra travel time.<\/p>\n Sharing the road responsibly during the back-to-school rush helps keep students, crossing guards and fellow drivers safe.<\/p>\n [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter<\/a>] <\/p>\n Click here<\/a> to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here<\/a> to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here<\/a> to stream Action News Jax live.<\/p>\n Action News Jax Top Stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 As students across several Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia counties return to class, local law…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":367005,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117,2235],"class_list":["post-367004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news","tag-speed-zone"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/367005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}