Chatting on Your Smartphone in a School Zone Could Be a Dumb Move, LAPD Warns

The two-week holiday ended Monday for some 700,000 Southland students, as they return to school, and Los Angeles police traffic officers say they will be enforcing safety laws around school campuses, a sergeant said.

"We've seen a decline in traffic accidents, but an increase in pedestrian-related accidents," according to Sgt. Arturo Gomez in the Los Angeles Police Department Valley Traffic Bureau. "When you talk about pedestrians, the biggest group is kids."

Gomez said there will be a team of four officers out at Lemay Street Elementary in Van Nuys and other schools, watching for safety violations including: double-parking, speeding, cellphone violations, inattentive driving and child seat violations.

"Hopefully, we don't have to write citations," he said.

Gomez noted he's watched as parents "let second- and third-graders dart across the street," outside crosswalks.

"A big problem comes when parents are in a hurry," he said. "Prepare the night before so you don't have to rush to school."

From City News Service