Wednesday is the first day of school in Nevada County and law enforcement and other safety groups are warning motorists to be extra vigilant. Grass Valley Police Sergeant Dan Kimbrough says his department will deploy extra officers near school zones…

click to listen to Sgt Kimbrough

Kimbrough says if possible drivers should avoid school zones and find alternate routes, especially on the first day…

click to listen to Sgt Kimbrough

Kimbrough says streets near schools are normally the busiest between 7:30 and 9am and between 2 and 3pm. Triple-A says afternoon hours are especially dangerous for children. It says over the last decade nearly one-third of child pedestrian fatalities occurred between 3 and 7pm. Also, a pedestrian struck by a driver travelling at 25 miles an hour, which is the typical school zone speed, is nearly two-thirds less likely to be killed, as compared to one struck by a motorist going just 10 miles an hour faster.