Governor's declaration highlights school zone safety

Gov. Brad Little declared Sept. 17 to be Idaho School Zone Safety Day. This proclamation put an important emphasis on a topic that many agencies stress year round.

“We are continuously encouraging drivers to be engaged and focused every time they get behind the wheel,” said the Office of Highway Safety’s Bill Kotowski. “This is especially important this time of year as days grow darker and shorter and more kids are out walking and biking to school during those early morning hours.”

For the last three years, OHS has partnered with AAA of Idaho to promote school zone safety. This year, the partnership grew with the addition of a special grant that allowed 26 law enforcement agencies from all across the state to look for distracted and aggressive drivers.

It offered an opportunity for ITD employees to join forces with law enforcement, educators and other traffic-safety partners to visit with kids and help them safely start the school year.

“It’s always fun to meet with kids on their home turf, but the important message of school zone safety isn’t just for them,” stated Kotowski. “We all want our children to be successful in the classroom – but to do that, we need to make sure they get there safely. We all need to do our part to keep our roads, sidewalks, and school zones safe for everyone.”

Watch the video of the event at Maple Grove Elementary in Boise.

Published 09-20-19