School starts this week in many parts of Mid-Missouri, and both the Jefferson City Police Department and Jefferson City's postmaster have issued safety reminders.
Police want motorists to be mindful of their driving in, and around, school zones.
JCPD officials said they will have a noticeable presence in school zones and will assertively enforce school zone speed limits, child restraint violations, school bus stop sign violations and other hazardous moving violations.
Additionally, through funding provided by the state Transportation department's Traffic and Highway Safety Division, extra officers will be on duty with the sole purpose of enforcing hazardous moving violations within city school zones and along school bus routes.
Postmaster Jason Hirschvogel wants parents and school officials to remind children about taking extra precautions to avoid accidents around mailboxes and postal vehicles.
Those include: never approach a postal vehicle when a letter carrier is delivering the mail; wait for mail to be delivered before retrieving it from the mailbox; and children never should take mail directly from a letter carrier who is delivering mail from inside a vehicle.
In a news release, Hirschvogel said postal service employees "plan on being extra careful when driving at or near schools or playgrounds," but his suggestions about staying away from mail vehicles delivering the mail will keep children from being hurt by a vehicle because the carrier didn't see them.
Also, he cautioned, children should limit their use of cell phones, and other portable devices, when riding their bicycles.
And they should remember to pay attention to local street signs, and observe the "rules of the road" when riding a bicycle.