Drivers beware: Increased enforcement of school zones next week

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – RCMP are sending a message to the province’s drivers reminding them September is back to school time.

Police are asking drivers to remember their ABCs and if they don’t, they will certainly help teach them a lesson, according to a RCMP media release.

The driver’s ABC’s are: A for attention, B to be patient and C for children.

Lessons include fines, demerit points, driving prohibitions, jail or the tragedy of a child’s death, police say.

According to the RCMP, 78 children aged five to 18 are injured in crashes in school or playground zones each year.

RCMP are also reminding drivers school speed zones will be in effect throughout the region. Drivers can expect increased enforcement in those zones when school gets underway again next week.

Speed limits through school zones are typically 30 kilometres an hour, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on school days, unless otherwise posted.

Drivers are also being reminded when a bus turns on its flashing red lights, vehicles in all lanes, in both directions are required to stop.

The fine for exceeding the posted limit in school zones is between $196 and $253.

Police say the majority of infractions within posted school zones are related to users who frequent those areas. They are advising motorists to not become too familiar with one’s route and allow ample time to get to their destination when travelling through posted zones.

With an expected increase in traffic next week as parents, school buses, cyclists and pedestrians hit the streets again, police are also asking motorists to be aware not all children are thinking of safety during the initial first days of school, so extra caution is warranted by everyone.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.