RICHMOND, Va. — As schools reopen for the new year, drivers should prepare for significant changes to their daily commute, according to AAA.
After nearly three months with fewer school buses on the roads, traffic patterns will shift this week as students return to classrooms.
Morgan Dean, a AAA spokesperson, recommends leaving home 15 to 20 minutes earlier than usual to accommodate potential delays during morning commutes.
Evening commutes are also likely to take longer than they have during summer months.
"Hopefully there's parents with them, but it only takes a second for a child to dart out before somebody can even grab an arm and stop them. So anytime we get into this back to school time period, very, very slow on those roadways, looking and scanning to make sure that there aren't any kids in and around this roads," Dean said.
Drivers should watch their speed, stay alert, and be vigilant for children walking to and from bus stops or schools.
Drivers are reminded that when they encounter a school bus with flashing lights and extended stop signs, they must come to a complete stop. The only exception is for drivers traveling in the opposite direction on a road with a physical median dividing the lanes. Even in those cases, drivers should proceed with extreme caution.
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