APD steps up enforcement in school zones as year begins

ASHEBORO — Asheboro Police have been stepping up enforcement around schools as students start a new year.

With Asheboro City Schools and other local schools back in session, officers are increasing patrols with a focus on speeding in school zones, as well as dangerous and distracted driving. 

“Please be aware of pedestrians in neighborhoods, at bus stops, and at crosswalks. Please be aware of the school zones and the reduced speed enforcement times along your driving route,” the department said in a Facebook post on Aug 24. 

Asheboro City Schools echoed that commitment to student safety this school year In an email, saying the safety of students is their highest priority. “Each day, thousands of children in North Carolina ride school buses to and from school, and it is essential that all motorists understand and obey the laws designed to protect them.”

In North Carolina:

■ All traffic must stop when a school bus displays its red flashing lights and extends its stop arm, except when traveling in the opposite direction on a four-lane road divided by a median or barrier. 

■ Vehicles must remain stopped until the stop arm is withdrawn, the red lights are turned off, and the bus begins to move. It is illegal and extremely dangerous to pass a stopped school bus that is picking up or dropping off students.

Violators could face fines, license suspension and criminal charges. Violating these laws not only puts children’s lives at risk but also carries serious penalties, and an officer doesn’t have to be around for you to get caught. 

The 2009, House Bill 440 (Nicholas Adkins School Bus Safety Act, in memory of the 16-year-old student killed when a driver did not stop for a stopped school bus), added one critical provision to an existing law —allowing the use of automated camera and video recording systems to detect and prosecute violators.

Asheboro City Schools began adding stop-arm violation cameras in 2014, completing installation across all 21 of its buses by the 2023-24 school year. That same year, Randolph County Schools reported having 21 cameras installed on a fleet of 128 non-extracurricular buses.