Drivers urged to be mindful of school zones and stopped buses

It is always important to drive with care, but it’s especially important now that school is back in session.

“The speeding is just nuts,” Debra Boucher, of Enfield, said.

She lives near a school and said she's witnessed careless driving on busy roads and backroads alike. She and others we spoke with tell us they worry about their loved ones getting to and from school safely.

“If people are not paying attention, that’s my worst nightmare,” said Boucher, a grandparent to school-aged kids.

"I tell them to look both ways, back, left, right, you know,” Chow Tu, of Somers, said.

"It’s kinda scary seeing people not be very mindful,” Joseph Rowcliffe, of Burlington, said.

That’s why Enfield police are cracking down on drivers speeding in school zones and passing buses.

Sgt. Matthew Meier said the department has already seen violations of both, only a week into the new school year.

“Yesterday specifically, I believe they had three or four violations in just a few minutes period of time,” Meier said.

He said they try to remind drivers of the rules every year, but says there always is a bit of a transition period for drivers as school kicks off. He encourages drivers to note the speed limit in the school zone - usually 25 or 35 miles per hour -- and to never pass a stopped bus.

“There’s been recent complaints last year and this year where it seems like it's gotten a little bit worse,” Meier said.

He said drivers are distracted these days by both electronics and stress, but need to stay alert to their surroundings.

Connecticut law fines drivers $475 for passing a stopped bus, and fines for speeding in a school zone increase by severity.

This is a conversation in other towns as well. East Windsor police said they followed buses in marked and unmarked cars to make sure no one passed them. That’s something they say they'll continue to do as the year progresses.