Asheboro Police Step Up Enforcement in School Zones at Start of New School Year

ASHEBORO N.C. (ACME NEWS) — Asheboro Police have been stepping up enforcement around schools as students start the new school year.

With Asheboro City Schools and other local schools back in session, officers are stepping up 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,” said the Department in a Facebook post on Aug 24.

According to the department, officers will be posted at schools in the mornings and afternoons, focusing on crosswalk violations, speeding, and other traffic offenses within school zones. Additionally, patrol officers are encouraged to look for violators while students are being picked up from bus stops in the morning and dropped off in the afternoons.

“We have noticed more distracted drivers using mobile devices while traveling to their destinations,” said Officer Wall in an email. “We encourage motorists to pay attention to the road, and to pay attention when entering a school zone. We want the public to travel safely and be more attentive to their surroundings.”

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.”

The system reminded drivers to pay extra attention and follow all traffic laws around school buses.

In North Carolina, the law requires:

- 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- Vehicles must remain stopped until the stop arm is withdrawn, the red lights are turned off, and the bus begins to move.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.

In 2009, House Bill 440 (the Nicholas Adkins School Bus Safety Act, named 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 2023–2024 school year. That same year, Randolph County Schools reported having 21 cameras installed on a fleet of 128 non-extracurricular buses.

Police and school officials say the message is simple: slow down, pay attention, and help keep children safe.