All year long, kids need drivers to be focused on safety in school zones, but especially in the first week of the new school year.
When families took their kids back to classes on this morning after the summer break, police and other road safety officials were also in attendance. Volunteers and staff from the Community Policing Centre joined ICBC and the RCMP at one of last year's most critical school zones, Heather Park school, to drive their point home. A radar reader sign showed motorists what their speed was relative to the posted limit of 30 km/h.
"There are many children as you can see," said Prince George RCMP spokeswoman Const. Lesley Smith. "There are families, buses, young drivers, a lot of pedestrians and a lot of drivers. Everyone has to be careful of each other."
Speeding in a school zone will win offending drivers a $196 fine but it is not the only infraction pertaining to schools. If drivers do not adhere to school bus's flashing red lights and/or the deployed stop sign arm, that is another $167.
"You might be driving at 30 but still get a ticket," Smith warned. "Speeding relative to road conditions is also an infraction police will watch for, because if there is a lot of congestion, a lot going on, then the posted maximum is still too fast. Your environment matters, so drivers really have to pay attention."
School zone speed limits are in effect between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. unless there is a playground in which case the limit is extended to between dawn and dusk.
Parents are urged to ensure children are dressed in bright clothing, are trained to look both ways before crossing a street, to watch for potential hazards, and never walk with headphones on dulling the sounds of traffic.
"We love the fact the RCMP is supporting Heather Park again," said school principal Steve Fleck. "[Community Policing Centre commander Cpl. Carissa Hornoi] was here a number of times last year, helping our students and staff learn about traffic safety and crosswalk supervision practices."
Heather Park's traffic dynamics were complicated last year by school reconfigurations that made it a feeder school from several outlying areas.
"I think the construction done to the driveway area over the summer has really helped things," Fleck said. "We feel, compared to this day last year, that we have a much more pleasing situation."
The city's RCMP traffic commander, Sgt. Al Steinhauser, said schools with long straight-stretches nearby are most prone to speeding, and police would not hesitate to intervene in school zone infractions.
"No matter who made the wrong choice in any [school zone collision], the child will be paying the ultimate price, so again we ask all drivers to make smart decisions," Steinhauser said.
According to ICBC annual averages from the north-central region, kids aged 5 to 18 are involved in 1,075 crashes per year resulting in 378 injuries and eight deaths.
"ICBC has a free classroom curriculum to teach road safety awareness," said Diana Pozer, kjhkjhkjhk. "We have learning resources for teachers aimed at Kindergarten through to Grade 12."
There is a advertising design contest on for kids, as well, with a Mac Book as the prize. The winning designs will be next year's posters.
