How to safely drive in a school zone

School is back in session in Seattle after a five-day teachers’ strike. Suddenly neighborhoods are bustling with kids, cars, and buses.

Here’s a quick refresher on school zones:

Per Washington state law, when a school zone is marked with a sign under the “School Speed Limit 20” (sign reading “When Children Are Present”) the speed limit of 20 MPH is in effect during the following conditions:

1.) School children are occupying or walking within the marked crosswalk.

2.) School children are waiting at the curb or on the shoulder of the roadway and are about to cross the roadway by way of the marked crosswalk.

3.) School children are present or walking along the roadway, either on the adjacent sidewalk or, in the absence of sidewalks, on the shoulder within the posted school speed limit zone.

Basically, if you see a kid near a school, it’s 20 MPH.

Need more school bus safety tips? Watch this handy video on School Bus Stop Rules explained by the WA state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Washington State Patrol Commercial Vehicle Division.