School zone safety patrols in Salinas
It’s not just Central Coast students back to school this week, but also law enforcement agencies. We were with Salinas Police on Monday, as they patrolled El Gabilan Elementary School on its first day back in session. They want to try to patrol all of the local schools.
It’s not just students who can sometimes get the so-called “summertime brain drain,” but their parents too. Parents were caught doing some unsafe things outside of the school on Monday.
“Just parents stopping, some pulled to the curb, some stopped right in the middle of the road to let their kids out,” said Salinas Police Officer Kevin Orepeza.
Another parent blocked someone’s driveway for half an hour.
“The lady came out and she couldn’t get out of her driveway and the parent left the car, with her hazards on,” Orepeza said.
This is why Salinas Police patrolled the area, to remind people the rules of the road.
It wasn’t just drivers though, we saw parents walking in the middle of the road, between signs that actually told them to use the crosswalk. It’s something that sets a bad example for kids.
Priscilla Flores said she was thankful for the police presence, after having several close calls with cars.
“Me and my kids have almost gotten hit once and I’ve had to yell at them and they just kind of drive off,” Flores said. “Actually this morning when they had the police officers here, it was a good idea because crossing right here is dangerous.”
Another back to school traffic issue – what to do around school buses.
“When the red lights flash on a bus, whether you see any children or not, you have to stop,” said Sgt. Robert Hampson. “When that stop sign swings out and the red lights are flashing you cannot drive past the school bus in either direction.”
There is an exception, if there’s a physical barrier between the opposing lanes of traffic.
“If the bus is on the opposite side of the roadway, you do not have to stop,” Hampson said.
Police want to remind parents to leave a few minutes early as they settle into a routine. Flores has a similar message.
“We have kids and that’s the main thing is patience,” Flores said. “They are little kids. Our cars are big, we really can’t see them if they just come out and dart in front of us because I know I would have a hard time if someone were to hit one of my kids. It’s just being cautious, it’s something we should all do. Patience. I know it’s difficult it’s frustrating but just patience. It’s like we all
