MESA, AZ — Students in the Mesa Unified School District, the biggest school district in the state of Arizona, are making their way back into the classroom on Thursday.
Oftentimes, parents are the ones who don't score a passing grade when passing through those school zones on the roads.
"Cell phone use while driving and speed are two of the big factors," explained Sgt. Shawn Walkington with the Mesa Police Department.
He tells ABC15 his department is focused on education just outside the classroom for drivers to ensure kids make it to school safely.
"Obviously, once school starts... we're going to have kids either walking to school, which is causing pedestrian traffic," Sgt. Walkington said. "Or we're having parents driving their kids to school or the buses, which adds more vehicles on the roadway."
Even if a driver does not have school-aged kids, they will notice the speed limits dropping around the Valley, and Sgt. Walkington said it's all to make sure those behind the wheel can react in an emergency.
"Roughly, if you're going 45 in a 35, you're traveling at about 15 feet per second faster than you would be at 35," Sgt. Walkington described.
That means it is going to take you almost three vehicle lengths further to come to a stop, he said.
"Couple that with the reaction time that it takes somebody to recognize potential danger and then get on the brakes... it just expands that whole thing," Sgt. Walkington said.
He went on to explain that the average reaction time can vary anywhere from a little less than a second to almost three seconds.
"So, the average person is about at 1.5-second reaction time... to see a child that they weren't aware of step into the roadway, see that danger, and then make the decision to be on the brakes," Sgt. Walkington said.
If a driver is speeding through a school zone, that speed could be the difference in stopping the vehicle in time or being a part of a devastating crash.
"Be mindful that a child walking to school may do something that you're not expecting," Sgt. Walkington said. "So, expect the unexpected."
Many school zones across the Valley, including Mesa, also have cameras for speed enforcement.
A study back in 2008 found speeds were reduced following the installation of cameras and the average speed dropped to about 36 miles per hour, which is closer to where it should be.
Mesa Police said they will have extra patrols out to get everyone back into a routine on the road after the summer.
Have a road issue or a question for the Operation Safe Roads team? Call 833-AZ-ROADS or email roads@abc15.com.