(Concord, NH) - With the start of a new school year, New Hampshire State Police are urging motorists to drive safely and are offering safety tips when sharing the roads with school buses.

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Here is what State Police remind motorists:

1-      Be mindful of school bus stops and increased pedestrian traffic as school children walk to school bus stops, to school or to home.  Please reduce speed when approaching school bus stops and watch out for children running into the roadway.

2-      Remember to maintain a safe distance from school buses and expect for them to stop quickly. With a new school year, new school bus stops appear.

3-      When approaching a school bus from the opposite direction, watch for red lights.  You must stop for an approaching school bus when its red lights are activated.  You must come to a complete stop a minimum of 25 feet away from a stopped school bus. School children have to walk across roadways and stopping can save a life.   The only exception to this is from RSA 265:54 “The driver of a vehicle upon a divided highway with separate roadways need not stop when meeting or passing a school bus which is travelling in the opposite direction…”

4-      When operating a vehicle in a school parking lot, you must stop for school buses with their red lights activated if they are picking up or letting off school children.

5-      Remember to give yourself a little extra time to get to work as a new school year has begun!

Because Safe Driving is EVERYONE’S Responsibility: Please Drive Respectfully…. Always Buckle Up… Don’t Drive Distracted… Never mix alcohol and drugs with driving… and please, Slow Down.

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