HARLINGEN — In an effort to enforce the safety of children the Harlingen Police Department will increase patrols throughout the city’s school zones.
Officers will monitor traffic throughout all schools in Harlingen including private schools for the remainder of the year, according to Sgt. Larry Moore.
“We want to be more visible. We are going to be patrolling and rotating through all the school zones,” Moore said.
“We are going to be enforcing traffic laws, telling people to slow down, get off their cell phones and keep their eyes on the road,” he said.
These traffic law enforcements come after an incident a few weeks ago at Harlingen High School where a girl was struck by a van as she walked the crosswalk.
According to Moore, that incident did not encourage authorities to do more patrolling, but it is important to pay attention to pedestrians.
“You have to yield to the pedestrians when they are in the crosswalk as well as crossing guards,” he said.
“If they are in the crosswalk it is letting drivers know children or adults are getting ready to cross the street,” Moore said.
According to him the main reason is to keep the children as safe as possible.
“We want the community to know they need to be more aware and we are doing our best. We need people to stop for school buses and we have to take care of our citizens, especially our young citizens, our future,” he said.
School Zone Safety Tips
– Don’t double park, it blocks visibility for other children and vehicles.
– Don’t load or unload children across the street from the school.
– Remember to slow down and obey all traffic laws and speed limits.
– Stop for school buses when the red lights are flashing. It is against the law to pass a school bus when the lights are on.
– Yield to pedestrians, they have the right of way. Always stop for a crossing guard holding a stop sign.
