Our children return to the classroom on Tuesday and while some parents may be cheering the date, it’s also a time of concern: More than one-fourth of child pedestrian fatalities occur between 3-7 p.m.

Those times are when schools are dismissing kids from the classroom or when they are headed home from school-related activities.

Now, more than ever, drivers need to be careful turning corners, backing out of driveways and driving through school zones.

Making things worse is that the days around here will get dark and rainy as fall and winter approach.

We expect that the police will be out in force next week, radar guns in hand, along streets that pass by schools. And we trust that they will hand out tickets even to those who say, “oops, sorry” when they’re pulled over.

So let’s all take a deep breath, take our feet off the gas pedal and put kids first. Slow down.

AAA has some good advice for motorists:

• Slow down and obey the 20 M.P.H. speed limit in school zones.
• Eliminate distractions. Sometimes kids dart into the road unexpectedly.
• Don’t roll through stop signs in school zones or neighborhoods.

– Craig Groshart, Bellevue Reporter