School Zone Safety in Texas: What Drivers and Pedestrians Need to Know

As our kids head back to school, student safety is top of mind. School zones play a vital role in protecting students from traffic accidents through reduced speed limits, crossing guards, warning signs, and other safety measures designed to help children travel to and from school safely.

Unfortunately, traffic-related injuries and fatalities involving school-age children still occur far too often.

In 2025, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reported 877 traffic crashes in school zone, a 12% increase over 2024. The most common factor in these collisions was driver error, specifically in the form of distracted driving and speeding.

The truth is that even the strongest safety measures cannot protect our children if we, as parents and motorists, fail to exercise caution. With that in mind, let’s look at the safe habits drivers and young pedestrians can practice to help prevent school-zone accidents and injuries.

What Is a School Zone?

A school zone is a reduced-speed zone designated by local authorities to help children get to and from school safely. They are typically located on streets bordering school property, but authorities may also establish them along roads with high levels of student pedestrian traffic.

While school zone rules vary from city to city and state to state, school zones in Texas typically:

• Impose a reduced speed limit, often 20 MPH, during posted hours, whether children are visible in the school zone or not.
• Prohibit handheld use of cellphones. This includes calling, texting, use of internet browsers and apps, or any other action that requires your eyes leave the road or manual manipulation of the device. Bluetooth devices may also be restricted in some cities.
• Increase traffic fines for violations committed while in the school zone.
• Require that drivers stop and yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk.
• Require drivers to follow the directions of crossing guards and law-enforcement officers.
• Require drivers to avoid stopping, parking, or dropping off children in prohibited areas or where the vehicle could obstruct traffic or a crosswalk.

It is important to note that some school zone rules may change depending on the municipality. For example, a city can require a speed limit of 15 MPH or pass an ordinance that prohibits the use of handsfree devices in a school zone.

School Zone Safety for Drivers

When driving in a school zone, motorists should:

• Slow to the posted speed limit. Reduce your speed and stay there until you exit the school zone.
• Put the phone away. Your phone should not be in your hand when driving regardless, but this is especially true in school zones.
• Stop and yield to crosswalks. Drivers in Texas are required to yield to a pedestrian crossing in a crosswalk and are prohibited from passing a vehicle that is already stopped at a crosswalk to let someone cross.
• Obey the crossing guard. A guard in the roadway controls crossing. Do not creep forward and wait for the crossing guard to exit the roadway completely before advancing unless otherwise signaled by the guard.
• Use the designated drop-off Loading and unloading children in the middle of the road forces children to walk between vehicles and disrupts the flow of traffic.
• Expect children to dart out. It is not uncommon for kids to step out from between parked vehicles or misjudge how fast a car is moving. Be prepared, cover the brake, and scan the gaps between vehicles.
• Do not pass or make U-turns in the school zone. Passing narrows a child’s escape room and can block sight lines of drivers around you.
• Leave a few minutes earlier. Late drivers are impatient drivers, and impatient drivers are unsafe drivers. Allow yourself some extra time whether you are dropping of your kid or just passing through school zones during your commute.

Safety Tips for Children and Pedestrians

• Use the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the street facing traffic.
• Cross at intersection and crosswalks. Wait for the signal if there is one and always look left, right, and left again.
• Always obey the crossing guard. They will advise you when it is safe to cross.
• Don’t assume a driver sees you. Make eye contact with drivers before stepping into the street.
• Don’t dart out. If you are exiting a bus or moving out from behind a parked car, look for traffic be stepping onto the street.
• Be aware. Keep phones and earbuds away so you can focus on the road.

If you or your child is hit in a school zone

1. Call 911 and get medical care immediately, even if the injuries look minor.
2. Photograph the scene, including the school zone signs, beacons, crosswalk markings, and the vehicle.
3. Note the exact time. Whether the zone was active is often the central question in these cases.
4. Collect names of witnesses, the crossing guard, and responding officers, plus the crash report number.
5. Do not give a recorded statement to the driver’s insurance company before you know the full extent of the injuries.

Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney

School zone crashes often involve a mix of city signage decisions, school traffic plans, and driver conduct, and claims against a city or school district carry much shorter notice deadlines than an ordinary car wreck. This is why it is essential you work with a knowledgably attorney on your case.

If you or a loved one was injured in a school zone, contact Thomas J. Henry. We are available 24/7, nights and weekends.