FMPD reminds of school traffic safety

Submitted release

While students and teachers return to school after summer break, there will be an increase of traffic consuming the roadways of Fort Madison. Students will be walking to their bus pick-up and drop-off points, riding their bikes or driving to and from school.

The Fort Madison Police Department is reminding parents and their children to refresh their knowledge on getting to and from school safely. Even if your kids have already walked out the door for the first day of classes, it’s not too late – safety must be the first lesson of every new school year. Parents who drop off and pick up students need to exercise compliance with parking regulations.

Along with this will be an increase of motor traffic on roadways. We want to also remind everyone to exercise extra caution during the morning hours and mid-afternoon hours now that school is in session. Have your foot covering the brake pedal and your eyes scanning the road when entering a marked school zone. When children are at hand, school zones require you to obey the posted 25mph or slower speed limit, regardless of the day of week or time of day. For example, if it's a Friday night at 10pm and you are in a school zone when kids are present (maybe a football game just ended), you are still required to adjust your speed to obey the slower school zone speed limit.

To combat end-of-summer alcohol related fatalities the Fort Madison Police Department will be vigilant watching for impaired drivers, texting drivers, and unbelted drivers.

We want to welcome everyone back to a safe and fun school year.