‘Operation Back to School’ Targets Student Road Safety

The Atlantic County Sheriff's Office is launching a student safety campaign in September to protect returning-to-school students walking or using school buses to travel to school.

The Atlantic County Sheriff's Office's "Operation Back to School: Pedestrian and School Bus Traffic Safety" will take place during peak hours when children are heading to school.

This proactive initiative aims to enhance roadway safety and significantly reduce the frequency of accidents in Atlantic County, ensuring a safer environment for all commuters, particularly our children.

 

Alarming Statistics in Atlantic County

As Atlantic County Sheriff's officers hit the streets this month during student travel times, they will be carrying pamphlets reminding drivers about safe interaction with school buses and the students boarding and exiting them.

The pamphlets will also list some of Atlantic County's alarming statistics for injuries and deaths in crashes in 2024, when the county was second in New Jersey for fatalities during crashes.

Those stats include 33 drivers and passengers killed, and 20 pedestrians killed.

31% of those deaths took place along Route 30, and 61% of them happened between noon and midnight.

School Bus Safety

The Sheriff department leaflets also review the laws dealing with drivers' interaction with a school bus picking up or dropping off students.

For instance, on a two-lane road not divided by a barrier, all drivers must stop at least 25 feet from a stopped school bus with flashing red lights, whether or not you are traveling in the same direction as the bus.

How many times have you seen a driver ignore that rule and drive right by a school bus picking up students?

Imagine the horror of hitting a student getting off a school bus. Please use extra care and obey the rules during school travel times.