Now that the holidays have wrapped up, SCHOOL is back in session. This means drivers need to watch out for the school buses and child pedestrians in the village. Here are some helpful reminders regarding traffic safety and school zones:

When traveling in a school zone there is always a potential of children darting out into the roadway or oncoming traffic. Therefore, motorists traveling through school zones need to travel safely and obey the traffic laws.

Each school zone will have School Zone Speed Limit Signs posted. These signs designate that the School Zone Speed Limit is 15 MPH. This speed limit applies any time children are present, whether the children are on the adjacent sidewalks, parking lots, or on the roadway.

If a motorist is caught violating the School Zone Speed Limit, the penalties are stiff.  For example, if a motorist was stopped for traveling 40 MPH in a regular 35 mph Speed Zone (5mph over the limit), they would receive a citation for  $83.80 and up to 3 points. HOWEVER, if this violation occurred in a School Zone (15 mph speed limit when children are present), the driver would be traveling 25mph over the School Zone Speed Limit and would result in a citation for $172.00 and up to 6 points.

In addition to School Zones, here are other traffic laws to be aware of:

Motorists must stop on at least 20 feet or more from any school bus that has stopped and is flashing red warning lights.

Ø      This applies to motorists approaching from both the rear and the opposing lanes.

Ø      All lanes of traffic must stop for the school bus except in the opposing lanes if the highway is divided with a center median

Ø      No vehicle may proceed until the bus resumes motion and has turned off the red warning lights.

Ø      Just because the “Stop” sign is not extended on the bus, doesn’t not give a motorist the right to pass the bus. If the flashing red lights are activated, STOP.

If you violated this traffic law, you would be cited with a fine of $235.00 and up to 4 points.

An owner of a vehicle involved in a violation may be cited for the infraction if the driver of the vehicle at the time the violation occurred cannot be identified.

According to Wisconsin state law, drivers must:

Ø      Yield to pedestrians who have started crossing an intersection or crosswalk on a walk signal or on a green light.

Ø      Yield to Pedestrians who are crossing or waiting to cross the road within a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection where there is no traffic lights or control signals.

Ø      Yield to pedestrians when a vehicle is crossing a sidewalk or entering a driveway

Drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians legally crossing the roadway may be issued citations with fines ranging from $109.00 to $235.00 (depending on the violation).

Probationary drivers, such as high school students, especially need to be cautious in School Zones. These drivers risk having their citation points doubled and the possibility of losing their license if they accumulate too many points.

Drive Safely!

Many people in our community are not aware that the Brown Deer Police Department has a very committed and dedicated group of Chaplains.

We recognize that in our line of work, we sometimes meet people in the worst circumstances of life and when they need help the most.  In addition, we recognize that the stresses of the job can sometimes take its toll on the individual officer or the department as a whole. It is for these reasons that we have the Chaplains Corps.

The Chaplain Corps allows access to qualified, licensed members of the clergy from our community that are willing to assist officers and citizens and are multi-denominational.  They are able to respond to the scenes of stressful, traumatic incidents or situations. Chaplains may also be a referral for assistance at a later time.

Our group of Chaplains has been serving the community for over six years now and has responded to many events and situations. The assistance they have been able to offer has been very effective and they are all very willing to serve.

Our Chaplains are all members of the International Conference of Police Chaplains and receive annual training in many aspects of police work and skills in handling the situations that may arise in which they may be needed

• Wisconsin has the highest rate of drunken driving in the nation. More than 26 percent of Wisconsin adults who were surveyed admitted that they had driven under the influence of alcohol in the previous year, according to a nationwide study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/stateDUI/stateDUI.cfm) released in April 2008.
•  More than 42,000 drivers - about equal to the population of Fond du Lac - were convicted of drunken driving offenses in Wisconsin in 2007.

• Alcohol-related crashes killed 337 people in Wisconsin and injured more than 5,500 in 2007.
• Approximately 46 percent of all fatal traffic crashes in Wisconsin are alcohol-related, and 47 percent of all fatal motorcycle crashes in Wisconsin are alcohol-related.

• Choosing to drive while impaired by alcohol or other drugs could be a decision you'll regret the rest of your life.
• If you're arrested, you can lose your license as well as a huge amount of money.
• Repeat drunken driving offenders also face imprisonment.
• If you hurt or kill someone in a crash you could face extremely serious charges, like negligent homicide or operating while intoxicated (OWI) causing injury.
• Refuse a blood/breath alcohol concentration (BAC) test and you will lose your license on the spot for at least one year and you may have your car impounded.
• If you drive drunk with a child under age 16 in the vehicle, the penalties will double.
• If you have two prior drunken driving convictions and have a BAC over 0.17, the penalties are multiplied.

• Choose a sober designated driver before you start drinking.
• If you're feeling buzzed, you probably are over the 0.08 limit and should not drive.
• Rather than risk an arrest or even worse a crash, take mass transit, a taxicab or ask a sober friend to drive you home.
• Save a life - don't let your friends drive drunk.
• Don’t serve intoxicated patrons. In addition, some taverns and restaurants have programs to provide patrons with a safe ride home. Visit www.tlw.org/ (Tavern League of Wisconsin website)
• Report impaired drivers to law enforcement or call 911.
• Driving defensively and wearing your seat belt or using protective gear on your motorcycle is your best protection against an impaired driver.