Question: With back to school starting, can you talk about school patrol safety?

Answer: When you see a student safety patrol helping children cross a street or highway, you must come to a complete stop. You must also stop for adult crossing guards displaying a stop sign or flag. It is illegal to drive through a line of children crossing the road, even if a school safety patrol is not present. Violating this law is a misdemeanor. A second violation within a year is a gross misdemeanor.

Question: I dropped off my grandchildren at school the other day and I encountered someone waving a flag around the school buses. Do you know what that would be about?

Answer: I am guessing it was a school bus flagger. Some schools have people in place to assist with school buses exiting their school zones and parking lots. If you encounter one, you must stop for a school bus flagger directing traffic to allow school buses to leave school property. After being stopped by a school bus flagger, you may not proceed until directed to do so by the flagger or a police officer.

Question: Hello, we took a trip to the cities this summer. While down there we came across these freeway ramp meters. I know we don’t have those in out-state Minnesota but I thought you might be able to write about it in one of your articles for anyone that travels. Thank you for all you do and be safe!

Answer: Thank you. I don’t believe this is a topic I’ve wrote about before but I’d be happy to do so.

Ramp meters are signal lights on freeway entrance ramps that help control the flow of merging traffic. Like traffic signals at intersections, red, yellow, and green lights indicate when drivers can proceed. Only one car may proceed each time the light is green.

One car per green light: Used with freeway ramp meters at on-ramps to indicate that one car may proceed each time the light turns green.

You can avoid a ticket — and a crash — if you simply buckle up, drive at safe speeds, pay attention and always drive sober. Help us drive Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths.