First day of school!

Next Monday represents the first day of school for a lot of kids.   With the start of the school year, the roads instantly get more congested and you need to start thinking about how to plan to be safe, whether you are driving little ones to school, driving through a school zone or just commuting to work.   The extra cars alone from people taking their kids to school increases traffic.

Most people know driving is a privilege and not a right, but very few understand it is a privilege that can be lost altogether if one does not follow the law, as it relates to school zones.

DefensiveDriving.com provides a lot of information regarding the laws themselves in our online driver safety programs, but here are a couple you may not be aware of, especially as they related to school zones:

1) If you pass a school bus, your first violation will result in a hefty fine.   If you are subsequently convicted of passing a bus again, you will lose your license.

2) The use of most mobile devices are now, in most communities, against the law.  Hang up and drive when you are in school zones, or in any other zone for that matter.

3) Graffiti in most states, represents an automatic suspension of driving privileges if you are convicted.   Graffiti is particularly frowned upon in and around schools.

4) Failure to yield to a pedestrian, outside of speed in school zones, can result in a loss of driving privileges.

The best thing to do, especially if you have schools in the midst of your commute, is to plan extra time, the cargo gets more precious and you need to have a mature driving approach to ensuring you retain your right to drive.

On a total side note, truancy also can result in the loss of driving privilege, so make sure your kids are attending school!