ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
Students who live on base are heading back to school this week, and that means school buses will begin appearing around base.
Traffic congestion at the installation entry points will increase due to the number of school buses accessing the base during the mornings and afternoons. In addition to congestion at base entrances, travel routes around base will have more traffic as well both construction and buses. Buses will be stopping frequently for loading and unloading anywhere from two to 10 children at any given time.
"The best advice we can give the base community is for all motorists to allow extra time in your schedule for commuting during morning and afternoon travel," said Tech. Sgt. Rodrica D. Brown, 316th Security Forces Squadron NCO in charge of law enforcement administration. "Motorists are also asked to be patient with security forces at the gates as they are providing expedient services processing motorist and pedestrians onto the installation."
Sergeant Brown said that in accordance with the Maryland Traffic Authority, which was adopted by Andrews, drivers are required to yield to all pedestrians in marked crosswalks. Further, when a bus is stopped and displaying a stop sign from the side of the bus and flashing red lights, all traffic is required to stop and allow the children to cross the street to load or unload passengers from the school bus. If drivers do not follow these rules, they could be fined.
"According to Maryland Traffic Code, section 21-701, any vehicle operator failing to stop for a school vehicle operating flashing red lights will be issued a citation and accessed a $570 fine," Sergeant Brown said. "The best advice is to be cautious of your surroundings and obey posted speed limits, which will allow time to react to situations accordingly."
Pedestrians should keep in mind that they do not have the right of way when crossing in unmarked areas without crosswalks.
"They'll need to pause and look both ways before attempting to cross any street, and be mindful when crossing the street with small children that their hands are held so everyone gets across the street in a safe manner," Sergeant Brown said.
Pedestrian safety is a priority for the 316 SFS.
"From a law enforcement perspective, the safety of the children is the primary concern," said Sergeant Brown. "For Team Andrews parents, as a general rule of thumb, it is recommended to have a parent or guardian at the stop if the stop is for school-aged children. This can be something that each parent can take on - or create a schedule with other parents and guardians to ensure that the bus stop is monitored by an adult at all times."
Sergeant Brown suggests having an adult present at the bus stop is especially important since young children may get off at the wrong bus stop and may need adult guidance to get home safely. Should Team Andrews members see a lost child, Sergeant Brown encourages them to not leave the child unattended and call security forces immediately at 301-981-2001.
For more information on back to school safety, contact Staff Sgt. Thomas Scheide, community policing NCO, at 301-981-8573.