MOSES LAKE — With school back in swing and thousands of kids around Grant County on the streets, police agencies are urging drivers to use caution when driving in and around school zones.

The speed limit around school zones is 20 mph when children are present, or when school zone lights are flashing. Drivers who go over reduced speed limits by 5 mph could receive a $214 ticket. School zone fines go all the way up to $808.

“While the fines the state has set for these tickets are steep, they are a necessary deterrent to protect the most vulnerable members of our community. Last spring there were two children hit by cars near schools in Moses Lake during the last weeks of school. This is unacceptable by any measure,” stated the Moses Lake Police Department in a release.

The MLPD noted one of the more common infractions in the city is drivers failing to yield to school buses. In instances when the red lights on a school bus are flashing, drivers are not permitted to pass the bus in either direction on a two-lane road. While on a four-lane road, drivers traveling the same direction as the bus are not allowed to pass, but vehicles traveling in the opposite direction are permitted to do so. Washington drivers found passing a stopped school bus with flashing lights could face a $419 fine.

Additional fines include: $228 for failing to stop for a crossing guard and $136 for failing to yield to a pedestrian, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

“MLPD and other local agencies will have extra officers out to patrol the school zones heavily now, and periodically throughout the school year to reach our goal of zero traffic-related injuries in school zones. While our goal is not to write tickets, officers will take whatever enforcement action is needed to safeguard our community,” stated the MLPD. “We would, however, much prefer drivers follow the law and drive in a safe, responsible manner. When it comes to school zone enforcement, we like our officers to be bored.”