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Kingsport Police Department
David Quillin, Chief of Police 200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660 |
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NEWS RELEASE | |||
SUBJECT: | K.P.D. Emphasizing Traffic Safety as 2019-2020 School Year Begins | ||
DATE: | August 4, 2019 | ||
GENERAL NARRATIVE | |||
Effective Monday morning, August 5, 2019, Kingsport City Schools will be back in session. The Kingsport Police Department will be patrolling Kingsport’s various school zones and actively enforcing traffic violations. Motorists are urged to slow down and drive with an increased level of situational awareness, especially around school zones.
One new state law that just went into effect July 1, 2019 is the Hands Free Tennessee law that, among other things, makes it illegal to have a cell phone in your hand while driving. It is important to note that while a first-time offense is a $50 fine and a third-time or higher offense or an offense resulting in a crash is a $100 fine, IF THE OFFENSE OCCURS IN A WORK ZONE OR A SCHOOL ZONE, THE FINE IS $200. For more information and to read the entire bill, please visit the following link: Following, are some additional Back to School Safe Driving Tips: Slow Down: Back to School Means Sharing the Road Things get a little crazy on the roads during the school year. Buses are everywhere, kids on bikes are hurrying to get to school before the bell rings, and anxious parents are trying to drop their kids off before work. It’s never more important for drivers to slow down and pay attention than when kids are present – especially before and after school. If You’re Dropping Off Schools often have very specific drop-off procedures for the school year. Make sure you know them for the safety of all kids. According to the National Safe Routes to School program, more children are hit by cars near schools than at any other location. The following apply to all school zones: · Don’t double park; it blocks visibility for other children and vehicles. · Don’t load or unload children across the street from the school. · Carpool to reduce the number of vehicles at the school. · Have children exit the vehicle from the side of the vehicle facing the curb rather than the side of the vehicle facing traffic. · Use crosswalks. Don’t jaywalk or allow your children to do so. Sharing the Road with Young Pedestrians According to research by the National Safety Council, most of the children who lose their lives in bus-related incidents are 4 to 7 years old, and they’re walking. They are hit by the bus, or by a motorist illegally passing a stopped bus. A few precautions go a long way toward keeping children safe: · Don’t block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn, forcing pedestrians to go around you; this could put them in the path of moving traffic. · In a school zone when flashers are blinking, stop and yield to pedestrians crossing the crosswalk or intersection. · Always stop for a school patrol officer or crossing guard holding up a stop sign. · Take extra care to look out for children in school zones, near playgrounds and parks, and in all residential areas. · Don’t honk or rev your engine to scare a pedestrian, even if you have the right of way. · Never pass a vehicle stopped for pedestrians. · Always use extreme caution to avoid striking pedestrians wherever they may be, no matter who has the right of way. Sharing the Road with School Buses If you’re driving behind a bus, allow a greater following distance than if you were driving behind a car. It will give you more time to stop once the yellow lights start flashing. It is illegal in all 50 states to pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children. · Never pass a bus from behind – or from either direction if you’re on an undivided road – if it is stopped to load or unload children. · If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, traffic must stop. · This is true even on multi-lane highways unless there is a barrier or grass or raised concrete median physically dividing the two directions of the highway. Multi-lane highways only divided by center turn lanes do not satisfy this criteria, so both directions must stop for a stopped school bus. · The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them space to safely enter and exit the bus. · Be alert; children often are unpredictable, and they tend to ignore hazards and take risks. Sharing the Road with Bicyclists On most roads, bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as vehicles, but bikes can be hard to see. Children riding bikes create special problems for drivers because usually they are not able to properly determine traffic conditions. The most common cause of collision is a driver turning left in front of a bicyclist. · When passing a bicyclist, proceed in the same direction slowly, and leave 3 feet between your car and the cyclist. · When turning left and a bicyclist is approaching in the opposite direction, wait for the rider to pass. · If you’re turning right and a bicyclists is approaching from behind on the right, let the rider go through the intersection first, and always use your turn signals. · Watch for bike riders turning in front of you without looking or signaling; children especially have a tendency to do this. · Be extra vigilant in school zones and residential neighborhoods. · Watch for bikes coming from driveways or behind parked cars. · Check side mirrors before opening your door. Seatbelts and Child Passenger Safety Finally, all motorists are strongly encouraged to make sure they, and everyone in their vehicle, are properly restrained. Being properly restrained by a seatbelt or an appropriate child passenger safety seat can easily make the difference in a motorist being seriously injured or killed in a crash versus walking away from the crash with minor injuries or no injuries whatsoever. The Kingsport Police Department encourages ALL occupants of ALL motor vehicles to wear their seatbelt ALL of the time. It is the law, but more importantly, it might just save a life. For a comprehensive guide to child passenger safety, please visit the following link: https://TNTrafficSafety.org/CPS By exercising a little extra care and caution, motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and school buses can co-exist safely in school zones and throughout the City of Kingsport. |
RELEASING OFFICER | ||
Thomas M. Patton, Public Information Officer
Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit 423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX) ThomasMPatton |
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Mayor Patrick W. Shull has proclaimed the week of August 4 as National Farmers Market Week in Kingsport!
Kingsport Farmers Market joins markets across the country in celebrating National Farmers Market Week from August 4 to 10. The Kingsport Farmers Market will be celebrating the week with all week long with at our regular markets , Evening at the Market, and Tomato Fest. Come by to try our Farmers Market Scavenger Hunt!
After our regular market on Wednesday, join us for another Evening at the Market on August 8 at 5:30 p.m. Visit with your favorite vendors while Matlock & Company plays a concert—and don’t forget to stop and get your “I Heart Farmers Markets” temporary tattoo! Tag the Kingsport Farmers Market in a picture on Facebook or Instagram for the chance to win a KFM swag bag.
The 15th Annual Homegrown Tomato Fest will take place during our Saturday market on August 10 from 8 to 11 a.m. at the market. This celebration of the juicy, red fruit features tomato contests, free tomato tastings (including many heirloom varieties), free tomato refreshments, tomato-growing advice, tomato recipes, activities for kids and fun for the whole family.
Gather your finest and/or funkiest tomatoes and enter them in the contests for Best Tasting, Biggest, Prettiest, Ugliest, Most Bizarre and/or Best Dressed Tomato. Make an extra batch of your favorite salsa recipe and compete for bragging rights in the Best Salsa Contest. Admission is free and there are no entry fees. Entry forms may be downloaded from the SAPS website, www.saps.us. Entries will be accepted from 8 to 9 a.m. for all contests, winners will be announced after 10 a.m. Homegrown Tomato Fest is sponsored by the Southern Appalachian Plant Society (SAPS).
Kingsport Farmers Market merchandise—shirts, hats, mug and canvas totes—are all on special this week to celebrate, too. Show your love for the market with some merch!
The Kingsport Farmers Market began in 1977 and currently hosts over 110 farmers and crafters selling a wide variety of products. National Farmers Market Week is a celebration of these farmers and the benefits of having local produce and goods available to the Kingsport community.
“Farmers markets play a vital role not just in generating real income for farmers, but in forming a healthy, prosperous food systems,” says Jen Cheek, Executive Director of the Farmers Market Coalition. “By providing the opportunity for farmers to connect directly with consumers, markets serve as education centers. Vendors are teaching customers about agriculture and sharing recipes and new foods with their neighbors. Markets are making people and communities stronger and healthier.”
For more information on Homegrown Tomato Fest, contact Dennis Marshall at 423-288-3675 or dmarshall@chartertn.net. For more information on the Kingsport Farmers Market, or to sign up for our monthly newsletter, please visit kingsportfarmersmarket.org.
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