As students begin their first days of classes for the 2017-18 school year across the Heart of Virginia — embarking on another path in the educational journey of their lives — it’s important that as we commute to and from work in the mornings and evenings we be observant, pay attention and use caution when we travel down the beautiful highways and byways our community offers.

For the past few months, we’ve had a break from slow-moving yellow school buses meandering along the roadway in efforts to safely transport students to and from school in the mornings and afternoons.

It’s important that motorists allot extra travel time if driving in the morning hours before school begins or in the afternoon hours after schools dismiss their students in efforts to arrive at their destinations on time, rather than rushing along the roadway to get to their next appointment.

It’s also important to understand that many school children stand alongside the roadway away from their homes waiting on school buses. Be mindful of these children when traveling in the early morning hours.

Don’t break the law to speed past a stopped school bus when children are unloading or loading or speed up to beat the changing amber warning flashing lights before they turn to red.

When you see a school bus approaching with its warning lights flashing, slow down. Those amber signals don’t mean speed up. They mean slow down.

Knowing the rules of the road is very important — especially when children are involved.