OCPD Offers Safety Tips As Students Start New School Year

The Oklahoma City Police Department has important safety advice for parents and all motorists.  

Slow commuting through school zones is set to become the norm again as some Oklahoma City metro students are heading back to class this week.

Police officials said drivers will need to slow down and be mindful in those areas.

"We just want to remind the motoring public to be mindful of that," Oklahoma City Police Department Master Sergeant Gary Knight said.  

There will be extra personnel in school zones for the first couple weeks of school. 

Knight said it is important that parents train their students on safe walking practices.

"A problem we have with little kids is they are hard to see when they come out from between cars," Knight said.

The Institute for Child Advocacy advises parents with students walking to class to find other children your child can walk to school with, walking with them for the first week of school, showing them where crosswalks are and how to cross them safely.

The organization suggests bikers should practice the bike’s path to school, to always wear a helmet, use appropriate hand signals, respect traffic lights and stop signs and to ride along with traffic.