Lehi police are warning of increasing near-miss incidents involving impatient drivers at school crosswalks, according to a September 3 report. While no students, bus drivers, or crossing guards have been injured, officials noted that close calls are becoming more frequent as the school year begins.
Sgt. Lily Southwick told the Lehi Free Press that the close calls are growing in number. Southwick noted that children are safer when walking in groups because they are easier for drivers to spot and typically travel through school zones where speed limits are 20 mph or less.
Drivers face legal consequences for failing to follow safety protocols. Under Utah Code Section 41-6a-1302, passing a school bus on either side when its lights are flashing and the stop sign is extended is a class C misdemeanor. A first offense carries a minimum penalty of a $1,000 fine and 10 hours of compensatory service.
Additionally, drivers must remain stopped at crosswalks until the crossing guard and all pedestrians have completely cleared the road. According to the report, moving once children have passed only one lane is insufficient.
The Lehi Police Department utilizes 26 crossing guards to assist more than 18,000 students daily. These guards and the routes they monitor serve a secondary safety purpose; if a child does not arrive home on time, officers use mapped walking routes to help narrow their search.
Utah law requires every K-8 school, including public, private, and charter institutions, to create and distribute a child access routing plan. Formerly known as the Student Neighborhood Access Program (SNAP), these plans identify the safest walking routes to campuses and are reviewed annually by school districts and community councils, according to the Utah Department of Transportation.
