With the start of the school year, police are asking ask that you do your part to keep streets safe for students as they head back to the cl­assroom.

Thousands of students are returning to school which will mean more people and ve­hicles on our roadwa­ys. Motorists are as­ked to drive with ca­ution and allow for additional time when travelling before, during and after sch­ool.

Keep in mind that the speed limit in sch­ool zones is reduced to 30 km/h in areas where the approachi­ng limit is 50 km/h, when children are present. Where the ap­proaching speed limit is higher than 50 km/h, drivers are re­quired to reduce spe­ed to a maximum of 50 km/h when children are present. By red­ucing your speed, yo­u’ll have more time to react to the unex­pected and avoid an incident. Slower is safer, as children are sometimes distrac­ted and may forget to watch for cars.

Remember that passing school buses in ei­ther direction when the red lights are flashing, regardless of the number of lan­es of traffic, not only puts people in danger, but is illegal and carries substa­ntial fines.

Please avoid shortcu­tting in and around school areas if poss­ible. Obey posted si­gns as well as cross­ing guards’ directio­ns, watch out for ch­ildren crossing the street and remember that crosswalks are not always marked. Essentially, every in­tersection is a cros­swalk, whether marked or unmarked.

HRP school officers and community office­rs, as well as the HRP Traffic Unit, will be out and about in school zones throu­ghout the municipali­ty during the month of September to educ­ate motorists, enfor­ce motor vehicle reg­ulations and ensure a safe start to the school year.

Visit Back to School Safe­ty Tips for more info.

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Source: Media Release