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Thursday, September 1, 2016
School startup prompts road safety reminder
BY ADAM PRUDHOMME
ers to slow down and exercise caution in and around Staff Reporter school zones. They’ll be ramping up their patrols in Students will be returning the area ahead of the Sept. 6 class next Tuesday, meaning start date for most schools the school zones that have in the area. “We’re doing a two-fold been quiet over the summer months will soon be traffic plan for back to school,” said Constable Scott bustling hubs of activity. That’s why members of Woodburn, traffic manageNapanee’s OPP will be out ment officer with the Napain full force over the next nee OPP. “The week prior to two weeks, reminding driv- school, we’ll be out in the
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major community routes into those areas (leading into school zones) conducting enforcement. We’re going from the higher speed zones to a reduced speed zone, not necessarily within the school area specifically but all the major commuter routes, and reminding motorists that back to school is coming. Buses are going to be on the roads, kids are going to be around.” Cst. Woodburn says they’ll be able to afford more staff for the blitzes thanks to a donation by TransCanada. “The week of school we’ll be doing enforcement in the school zones themselves, targetting aggressive drivers, cellphones and seat belts,” said Woodburn. “Those are our primary concerns in the school zones.” By stepping up their presence in the week leading up to school, they’re hop-
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ing to remind drivers who may have fallen into some bad habits over the summer that extra caution is needed when driving though a school zone. “Quite frankly, unless you have children of school age and you’re paying attention to putting them back into school, it’s just one more day of the week in September,” said Cst. Woodburn. “It’s reminding those motorists that don’t necessarily have school-age children that back to school is starting, watch for the children. For the first little while, it’s an exciting new start for them, they’re excited to see some of their friends and, kids being kids, they aren’t always paying attention when crossing the street.” Aside from the obvious risk of an accident, failing to abide by the rules of the road can be quite costly. “Fines for cellphones are going up,” said Cst. Woodburn. “The price of that is now going to be up to total payable of $490. Speed fines, that depends on the speed that they were (caught) doing. A simple 15 kilometres over (the limit) in a school zone is still going to cost somebody $60 total payable. When you get to higher speeds than that, such as 20 km over, the set fine is $90, total payable is $110, and it now comes with
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Constable Scott Woodburn of the Napanee OPP’s traffic unit says officers are already doing extra enforcement in school zones. three demerit points to your driver’s license.” It’s not just in school zones that drivers have to mindful, either. They’re encouraged to exercise extra caution when driving behind a school bus. Passing a bus that has its lights flashing and stop sign extended can cost a driver $490 and six demerit points. “In that particular case, we don’t have to get the driver,” Cst. Woodburn says of passing a stopped school bus. “The school bus operator is able to get a license plate and we can actually charge the owner of the vehicle.” That means, cautions Cst. Woodburn, that the owner of the vehicle could be held responsible even if they weren’t actually driving the car at the time. If a
parent were to loan their car to their children and the childe committed the offense, the citation would appear in the mail addressed to the owner of the vehicle. “Once you’re behind (a school bus) you can’t see what’s going on around the front,” said Cst. Woodburn. “If it’s stopped and whether the kids are getting on, getting off, crossing the road, not crossing the road, as a driver, until (the students) are literally stepping out into the other lane, you can’t see them. At that point it’s too late, you’re not going to be able to stop safely.” It’s that fraction of a second that the OPP are looking to prevent by getting out into the community and spreading the word.
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