Photo Courtesy of Geneva Community Unit School District 304 Twitter

It is hard to believe that summer is already coming to an end. It seems like just yesterday our children were finishing up another school year, excited for the fun and adventures the summer months held. 

With schools opening their doors this week, it is important to start thinking about back to school safety. Beginning Aug. 23, neighborhoods and school zones will be buzzing with activity as children head to and from school. The Geneva Police Department will be partnering with our community to start the school year on the right foot.

We will be increasing our patrols around every school and neighborhood within our City limits. Our officers will be looking for specific violations that could impact the safety of our students, school staff and motorists. These violations include:

• Speeding in a school zone,
• Driving while texting or talking on a cell phone without hands-free or bluetooth device,
• Passing stopped school buses, and
• Failure to wear a seatbelt.

The school zones within our community are posted with a 20 mph speed limit, which is applicable on school days when children are present. This is important to remember as the school zones are very busy in both the morning and afternoon. In addition, there are school crossing guards present around the elementary and middle schools who are frequently in the roadway crossing the students.

Distracted driving, such as texting or talking without a hands-free device, can take your eyes off of the road for a few very important seconds that can lead to an accident. It also is important to remember that both front and back seat passengers must wear a properly worn seatbelt. In conjunction with the airbags in our cars, a properly worn seatbelt can reduce the severity of injuries sustained in a car accident.

If you are approaching a school bus that has its stop sign activated and red lights flashing, you must stop for the school bus. This is extremely important since it may not be readily apparent which side of the roadway the children are entering the bus from.

We are very fortunate to have many neighborhood schools within Geneva. While this is certainly a benefit, we frequently receive complaints in regards to drivers speeding on the streets surrounding our schools. We understand the mornings and afternoons can be hectic, and everyone is in hurry to reach their destination. However, with everyone’s help and cooperation, we can reduce the number of speeding and driving complaints made to the Police Department.

We look forward to working with our community to provide a safe environment for the 2017-2018 school year.

Eric Passarelli
Geneva Police Chief