Full Notification

The 2016/2017 school year in Novato begins this week, with the first day of classes at all Novato Unified Schools beginning on Thursday, August 18th. The Novato Police Department wants to remind the public of some of the laws to be mindful of so we can all have a safe school year.

It is a violation of the law to pass a school bus which is stopped with red lights flashing and/or the stop signal arm extended/engaged for the purpose of loading or unloading school children.

Drivers are reminded that the speed limit in a school zone is 25 mph when children are present, whether they are visible or not. School zones are designated with regulatory warning signs which read “School Zone.”

Many students ride bicycles to and from school. Parents are reminded that any person under the age of 18 years of age are required to wear a properly fitted and fastened helmets while doing so. This applies to non-motorized scooters, skateboards, rollerblades and roller skates. Drivers are reminded to provide sufficient clearance to bicyclists riding on the shoulder of the road.

Another reminder to drivers are the safety restraint (seatbelt) laws. All persons in a vehicle are required to properly wear safety restraints.

Each school is different when it comes to parking. Please look for signage and markings near schools when parking.

The State of California is “hands free” when it comes to using mobile devices while driving. Everyone over the age of 18 years old is required to be hands free while talking on their mobile devices, text messaging is prohibited as well when holding a mobile device. Anyone under the age of 18 years is prohibited from communicating on a mobile device, even while doing so hands free.

With school back in session, many of the children in our community will be walking or biking to and from school, and there will be an increase in traffic congestion, both during the morning drop off and afternoon pickup. Please give yourself enough time to get to school and be mindful and cautious of the increase of children in the community.

The Novato Police Department wants everyone to have a safe school year.

Released by: Sergeant N. Frey
Date: August 15th, 2016