When Lubbock School Zones Start Flashing Again In August

I’ll straight-up admit it: I’ve been stopped by the police for going too fast in a school zone.

I’ll also tell you that I’m glad the officer stopped me. That reminder made me fully aware that I was driving near a place filled with children. Kids are small, unpredictable humans, and I certainly don’t want to clip one who suddenly decides to hurry across the street.

With Lubbock ISD students returning to class on August 12, those school-zone lights will soon be blinking again. That means it’s time to slow down, put away the phone and start paying attention to areas of town that may have felt fairly quiet all summer.

Darker School Mornings Could Be Coming

There’s also a larger issue hanging over all of this. The U.S. House passed the Sunshine Protection Act on July 14. The proposal would end the twice-a-year clock changes and make Daylight Saving Time permanent, but it still needs Senate approval before becoming law.

Should it pass, we’d gain more daylight in the evening—but winter mornings would remain darker for longer. That could mean children walking to school, waiting for buses and entering crosswalks in the stone-cold dark.

Maybe the flashing school-zone lights will register even more strongly when they’re contrasted against the darkness. Still, it doesn’t seem like a great idea to have kids skulking around before school as though it’s Halloween night.

There may be benefits to permanent Daylight Saving Time, but darker mornings are a real tradeoff—and one worth considering before everybody celebrates never having to change a clock again.

Start Watching for School Zones Now

The best thing we can do right now is start noticing where the school zones are.

School traffic changes quickly. Crossing guards return, parents begin lining up, buses make frequent stops and children occasionally dart into places where drivers don’t expect them.

The faster we get used to the rhythm of a new school year, the safer everyone will be.