Now that school is back in session, the Perrysburg Police Division is reminding motorists to slow down while driving through school zones and to obey traffic laws when stopping for a school bus.

“School zones are put into place to ensure the safety of children as they are trying to get to and from school,” said Police Chief Patrick Jones.  

According to the Ohio Revised Code, the speed limit in a school zone is “twenty miles per hour during school recess and while children are going to or leaving school during the opening or closing hours, and when twenty miles per hour school speed limit signs are erected.”  

The busiest times in school zones are from 7-9 a.m. and from 2-4 p.m. 

Most of the streets surrounding the schools have signs alerting drivers that they are in a school zone and that the speed limit is 20 miles per hour. Although not required in the state of Ohio, some schools have flashing warning lights to alert drivers when school is in session. 

“Drivers need to respect the school zone speed limit and not be careless,” Jones said. “All children should be able to walk to school and not be scared that they’re going to be hit by a vehicle.”   

The Police Division has these reminders for drivers:

• Pay attention. Many of those who were stopped for speeding did not realize they were in a school zone. 
• Mornings and afternoons are the busiest times as students walk to and from school or to after-school activities. 
• Speeding in a school zone can cost you a fine of at least $130.  
• Many of the school zones also have crosswalks to make it safer for pedestrians to cross the road. They are marked with a series of parallel white lines across the road and warning signs.
• Always yield to pedestrians, even those who are not using the marked crosswalks. 
• Crossing guards take precedence over any traffic signs or signals that normally control the area during heavy traffic times. 

Drivers are also reminded to pay attention to school buses. On a road with fewer than four lanes, all drivers must stop at least 10 feet in front of or behind a school bus when it stops. If a bus is stopped on a road with four or more lanes of traffic, only the traffic going in the same direction as the bus must stop.