CENTRAL — As schools re-open this week, the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission is partnering with several safety organizations to remind drivers to be careful around school zones and school buses.

A pep rally was held Tuesday at Central High School to announce the commission's plans.

One of the biggest talking points brought up at the pep rally was that people aren't stopping for buses when they pick up or drop off students. They want to make it clear when the yellow flashing lights on a school bus, slow down, and that when a bus's stop sign is visible, drivers and pedestrians should stop.

State Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Joe Donahue says they've seen a rise in pedestrian deaths in recent years.

"Since 2019, we've had approximately a 14 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities across the country, and in Louisiana, we've averaged over the last several years, over 400 pedestrian and cyclist deaths or serious injuries per year," Donahue said.

One common cause of injuries from vehicles around school time is people not following safety guidelines for school buses.

"We've been doing a survey for a number of years and each year, it seems like they're are more and more drivers passing school buses at an alarming rate, based on the survey results," Michael Comeaux from the Louisiana Department of Education said.

According to experts at the rally, a survey conducted across 35 states had some alarming results. In just one day, nearly 100,000 bus drivers in those states reported that more than 60,000 vehicles did not stop for the bus when kids were getting on and off.

One thing that the state is doing is making sure more police are out by school zones and enforcing speed limits. In addition, texting while driving is starting to become more and more of an issue, and it's something officials aim to crack down on.

"When it comes to texting and driving, you can be issued a fine up to $500 for your first offense and then there's a graduating cost from there if you got caught for a second offense and so on," Louisiana State Police Lt. Col. Frank Besson said.

School zone times vary by each school's hours, but they are generally in effect 45 minutes before and after school hours.