Local law enforcement increase patrol in school zones

HENDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — After a local bus crash sends one student to the hospital, local officials are working to make sure drivers are aware of school buses and school zones in their area.

“The first thing is to always be aware and to know that school is back in session — know when those school zones are active in front of the schools, but also watch for the buses,” Henderson County Sheriff Brian Duke said.

The sheriff said one thing people need to be aware of is when to stop. If there is a median, you don’t have to, but when there is nothing but pavement you are required to stop regardless of the direction you are traveling.

“Four-lane highways that don’t have a median, the oncoming traffic continues to move, and they are supposed to stop,” Sheriff Duke said.

Duke says that if you get pulled over for speeding in a school zone while it’s active, you could potentially get more points on your record and higher fines.

Henderson County has also increased their patrols around school zones this year. The sheriff said their presence alone reminds everyone to slow down.

“We try to follow them some in unmarked cars as well as the highway patrol, and then visibility by having those marked cars out in school zones, having them out on the road you know, trying to be close to the buses and making sure that when we see a bus stop we watch,” he said.