Kids -- and cops -- head back to local schools

BELLEVUE -- Police officers say they will strictly enforce school speed zones and will be educating drivers during this first week of class as kids head back to school today and tomorrow.

School speed zones drop to 20 mph in Bellevue whenever children are present or yellow lights are flashing. Police say just 10 mph over the speed limit could mean the difference between life and death in a collision.

Officer Seth Tyler with the Bellevue Police Dept. said, “The faster you are going the longer your vehicle is going to be traveling before you can react and the longer it’s going to take you to stop. So it’s really important that you go 20 mph in those school zones."

Officers say there will be a larger police presence in school zones for the next week and that makes parents like Patti Strauman feel better about her children going to school.

Strauman said, "I think it’s great. I think it makes everyone drive more carefully and obey the traffic signals and keeps everybody safer for sure."

Two schools in the Bellevue School District are equipped with speed cameras. A third school will receive a speed camera later this school year.