Early Police Chief David Mercer sent a message out Friday to remind motorists about traffic laws in school zones, and that police will be actively patrolling those zones on the first day of school.

See Chief Mercer’s full message below.

“Early schools start Monday and the Early Police Department will have units patrolling the school zones. Texting in school zones and speed violations are the most common violations and will be enforced by officers. We would like to see everyone use caution in school zones and watch their speed and not text while driving. The texting can wait until you get to your destination.

I encourage everyone to watch the video on the bigcountryhomepage.com about texting and driving and take the ‘no texting and driving’ pledge with your kids that is with the video. Starting Monday, traffic will pick up around area schools so I encourage everyone to leave earlier and give yourself more time to get around because with the heavier traffic will come delays and lines waiting to get into the schools. The Premier High School has moved to 819 Early Blvd so traffic around Premier will he heavy and somewhat congested.

If everyone will be courteous to other drivers and be mindful of the traffic laws, things should go pretty smoothly. Your patients and alertness could be what prevents a traffic accident.”