Riverside County Office of Education
3939 Thirteenth Street
Riverside, California 92501 | Map
(951) 826-6530
Indio Office
47-336 Oasis Street
Indio, California 92201 | Map
(760) 863-3000
Murrieta Office
24980 Las Brisas Road
Murrieta, California 92562 | Map
(951) 600-5651
Governmental Relations Office 1121 L Street, Suite 807
Sacramento, California 95814 | Map
(916) 325-1162
Newsroom | Archive 2006
Safe Schools Unit offers back-to-school tips
It’s back-to-school time, and the Safe Schools Unit would like to send you a few reminders to keep all students safe.
Please plan a little extra time over the next few weeks to arrive at your destinations; with school back in session the traffic will be extra heavy near all school locations.
Be extra mindful of pedestrians and students on bicycles; they are often hard to see or may enter the street from between parked vehicles.
The following are California Vehicle Codes that will ensure safety for all:
When students are present on sidewalks or crosswalks the streets for 500 feet around schools are 25 miles per hour. Each year, more than 600 children die from injuries received while walking on or near streets, and 44,000 children suffer motor vehicle-related pedestrian injuries.
When a school bus flashes red lights (located at the top front and back of the bus), you must stop from either direction until the children are safely across the street and the lights stop flashing. The law requires you to remain stopped as long as the red lights are flashing (VC § 22454).
If you fail to stop, you may be fined up to $1000 and your driving privilege could be suspended for one year.
If the school bus is on the other side of a divided or multilane (two or more lanes in each direction) highway, you do not need to stop
It is illegal to leave a child six years of age or younger unattended in a motor vehicle when:
There are conditions that present a significant risk to the child’s health or safety.
The vehicle’s engine is running, the keys are in the ignition, or both.
Exception: The child may be left under the supervision of a person 12 years of age or older.
You may not operate your vehicle unless you and all your passengers 16 years of age or over, or who weigh 60 lbs. or more, are wearing seat belts.
Any child under the age of six weighing less than 60 pounds must be secured in a federally approved child passenger restraint system and ride in the back seat of a vehicle.
For further information about school safety issues feel free to contact the Riverside County Office Of Education Safe Schools Unit at (951) 826-6243. If you would like further information regarding pedestrian, child passenger, and bicycle safety feel free to contact Riverside County Injury Prevention Services at (951) 958-7171.
For information contact: Rick Peoples,
Public Information Officer
Telephone: (951) 826-6642
Fax: (951) 826-6199 rpeoples@rcoe.us
