As Gwinnett County students head back to school today, those at South Gwinnett High in Snellville now have new crosswalks and pedestrian signals to help them get across busy Hwy. 78 safely.

Students would routinely dart in and out of traffic at the intersection with Wisteria Drive where Burger King is a popular hangout before and after school.

While there have been plenty of near-misses, one student literally ran into a Snellville Police car in May and luckily avoided serious injury.

“We don’t want anybody seriously hurt or killed and that’s what we’re afraid could happen,” says Snellville Police Chief Roy Whitehead.

He tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish the project was first planned three years ago but delayed due to problems with easement.

Now that the crosswalks are in place, Whitehead wants to make students will use them and has already conveyed as much to the high school’s principal.

“Periodically we’ll do some enforcement actions and the people who don’t cross at the crosswalk, we’re probably going to cite,” he says.