With Haralson County students back in school and Labor Day just around the corner, motorists can expect to see increased amounts of morning and evening traffic.

Congestion, delays and high traffic volume can easily create dangerous driving situations, so Haralson County Sheriff Eddie Mixon and the Georgia Office of Highway Safety are providing drivers with some easy-to-follow tips to help keep pedestrians and motorists safe.

The Sheriff’s Office has released tips for both drivers and children to help keep everyone safe throughout the school year. “By releasing the following tips, we at the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office want you to be sure to have a safe school year,” Mixon said.

Drivers can help keep children safe by watching out for children walking or bicycling to school during the morning commute and by staying alert while driving through neighborhoods with school zones.

Drivers should also slow down and watch for children playing, walking and gathering in the street near bus stops, especially when there are no sidewalks present. Drivers should also stay alert for children running into the street while trying to catch a bus.

The Sheriff’s Office also reminds drivers that school buses’ yellow flashing lights indicate that it is slowing down and about to pick up children. Red flashing lights indicate that children are boarding or departing the bus. State laws mandate that motorists must slow down for yellow lights and stop completely while a bus’ red lights are flashing.

The Sheriff’s Office has also provided tips for children to help keep themselves safe throughout the year. Children should be at least 5 minutes early to their bus stop and stand at least 6 feet, or three giant steps, from the curb. When the bus does arrive, students should only board when the bus driver indicates that it is safe.

If children must cross the street in front of a bus, they should use the sidewalk whenever possible and walk at least 10 feet, or five giant steps, ahead of the bus. While crossing, children should check to see if they can see the bus driver and that the bus driver can see them.

When exiting a bus, children can stay safe by using the handrails and being careful that backpacks and loose clothing do not get caught in the bus doors. Children should also walk at least 6 feet away from the side of the bus to stay safe.

The Georgia State Patrol is also advising drivers and students to exercise safety around school buses.

“Drivers should always exercise caution around a school bus and observe the posted speed limit in school zones,” said Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety Bill Hitchens. “For drivers under the age of 21, a conviction for unlawfully passing a stopped school bus will result in a six-month suspension of your driver’s license.”

Hitchens also added that children are not always aware of the dangers surrounding them at school bus stops, so drivers should slow down and be prepared to stop.

According to the Georgia Office of Highway Safety, drivers should also stay alert throughout the Labor Day weekend, as it’s one of the most dangerous travel periods of the year.

Much of the danger on the Labor Day weekend stems from motorists celebrating the end of summer a little hardily and leaving their designated drivers behind. In Georgia, more than 600 people died in alcohol-related car crashes in 2006. Nationwide, 40 Americans die every day in alcohol-related wrecks.

To combat drunk driving and help make the roads safer, police throughout Georgia will be participating in Operation Zero Tolerance. The effort will last between Aug. 15 and Sept. 1 and included extra DUI enforcement patrols and sobriety checkpoints.

State legislators are also doing their part to limit drunk driving. On July 1 the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate passed House Bill 336, which increases the harsh penalties for drivers convicted of driving under the influence.

The bill creates a felony-level DUI charge and mandatory jail time for repeat offenders who have up to four drunk driving convictions in a 10-year period. The bill also requires first-time offenders to undergo drug and alcohol evaluation.

The new law treats first and second DUI convictions as misdemeanors, third convictions as aggravated misdemeanors, and a forth conviction as a felony.

First-time offenders will also face fines between $300 and $1,000, imprisonment for between 10 days and 12 months, between 20 and 40 hours of community service, completion of a DUI Alcohol of Drug Use Risk Reduction Program, a clinical evaluation, and 12 months of probation.

“This landmark legislation carries heavier fines, mandatory offender evaluations and jail times, stricter probation and longer community service penalties,” said GOHS Director Bob Dallas. “It should make any responsible driver think twice before ever climbing behind the wheel while impaired.”