ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The 2024-25 school year has been in session for a little more than a month, and with traffic now being busier in the mornings and afternoons, the Liberal Police Department would like to remind the community to be alert when driving around school zones.
“In 2022, 273 children under the age of 15 were killed as a pedestrian, and 16,157 were injured as a passenger in a vehicle, nationwide, in traffic crashes, according to the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office,” LPD Lt. Brandt Helsel said. “There are an average of five deaths a week in the United States contributed to school zones, and we don’t want that to happen around our schools. With school being back in session for a relatively short time, we wanted to do a public service announcement reminding the public to be vigilant in school zones after the summer break as students are returning to school.”
Helsel added the LPD is working hard to keep USD 480 students safe as they go to and from school.
“The school zones are patrolled regularly before and after school by the patrol division, which includes the School Resource Officers,” Helsel said. “However, we do have 11 schools in the district, and we do not have the manpower to have an officer in every school zone at all times, so it’s important for the community to do its part to help keep these children safe. As we always recommend, slow down and stay off of your phone. Speed and distracted driving are the top two causes of traffic crashes – the 20 mph limit in school zones is in place for a reason. The higher the speed of a vehicle involved in a crash, the higher the likelihood of injury or death. Fines for all traffic infractions are doubled when committed in a school zone, so given that and the overall importance of the children’s safety, it’s a good idea to be careful when driving around a school zone. School zones are busy at all times prior to the start of school and especially right after school is dismissed, so if you have to be out and about around those times, adjust the arrival time to your own destination accordingly and plan on a bit of a delay.”
Overall, Helsel concluded, the safety of the USD 480 students is paramount.
“We would also like to remind students and parents who walk children to school, to only cross at marked crosswalks and to not cross in the middle of the street,” Helsel said. “Any pedestrian is also encouraged to stay alert and free of distractions (such as being on your phone). We would also like to remind student drivers to stay over your phone and to not use earphones or headphones while driving.”
