DALLAS — As students are beginning to go back to school across the North Texas area, parents and police are both seeing a rise in drivers speeding where many of these kids are walking outside. And some local parents are noticing this trend as well.
The Dallas Police Department posted a Tweet Friday, saying that the officers have focused on back-to-school enforcement during the past two school weeks. During that time, the department handed out 244 tickets to drivers in school zones.
The Department also mentioned the increase in foot and vehicle traffic around these local schools as a reason for the increased enforcement as well.
Seven years ago, Hillary Taylor and her husband moved into a home near Mockingbird Elementary School. It's in a neighborhood near Mockingbird Lane and Skillman Street.
"We know the area well," Taylor said. "Love the area. Love the neighborhood."
However, similar to the Dallas Police Department, Taylor has started to see a rise in people speeding down her road the past few weeks. For Taylor, she said her road is in a unique situation because it's the first street drivers can cut through to avoid school zones.
This is worrisome for her because she said there are a lot of families with young children oftentimes playing outside, whether it's during the school year or not.
"It's not great," Taylor said. "Especially when you have littles. I mean, we're out in the front yard and cars are just whipping through."
Taylor said there are also many students walking to and from school during the day.
"It really just comes down to people being aware and courteous," Taylor said. "I mean, these are kids. People just totally miss school zones."