As parents were dropping off their kids for the first day of school in Victoria, police across the street were pulling over and giving warnings to several drivers who were going too fast.
VicPD traffic officers and speed watch volunteers were posted up outside George Jay Elementary School on Tuesday (Sept. 3) morning to remind drivers to slow down now that school zone speeds are back in effect.
"We're here today not just for enforcement, but also for education," VicPD Const. Terri Healy said across from the school as commuters passed by.
Police also want drivers, pedestrians and cyclists to be aware that being distracted results in about 40 per cent of all crashes in B.C.
"(People should be) removing earbuds, putting away devices and really keeping that situational awareness in mind so that everyone can get to and from school safely," Healy said.
As they had a speed reader set up to show how fast motorists were going, volunteers tracked the number of the drivers passing by the school and whether they were abiding by the 30 km/h school zone limit. The volunteers recorded about 700 vehicles in the hour or so before the first bell and around 45 drivers were caught going too fast. More than 20 drivers were recorded going over 10 km/h above the school zone limit.
Traffic officers on Tuesday were seen pulling over a handful of drivers shortly before school started. That enforcement caught vehicles right before the intersection where families were crossing Cook Street as they made their way to George Jay.
"There's been a few warnings that have been given out," Healy said.
She also reminded drivers to be aware of kids who are walking and biking to school in areas that fall outside of school zones.
VicPD traffic officers and the speed watch volunteers will be outside every school in Victoria and Esquimalt over the course of September.
Fifty-one children get injured in crashes within school and playground zones every year, ICBC said last month. The insurance agency added that six children in Victoria are injured while walking or cycling every year, with that rising to 47 across all of Vancouver Island.
School zones are in effect from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekday and automatically have speed limits of 30 km/h unless otherwise posted, ICBC says.
The likelihood of a pedestrian fatality falls from 80 per cent in crashes where a driver is going 50 km/h to 10 per cent when they're travelling at 30 km/h, according to the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals, which advocates for safety measures that lead to zero deaths or serious injuries Canada's roadways.
