Inspector Lee Knelsen, the Operations Officer for Saskatchewan RCMP Traffic Services, is reminding drivers to be safe as school reopens. Kids are coming back from the holidays and their minds may be focused on other things besides safety.
“We want to help the drivers and parents brush up in some of the do’s and don’ts in regards to driving in those school zones,” Knelsen said. “Number one is to reduce that speed. The speed limit in those school zones is 30 kilometers an hour and that’s across Saskatchewan. It is from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, all year.”
School buses
Knelsen reminds us that we should give at least five meters back from school buses to allow for kids to have that extra safety when getting on and off the bus.
“Those school buses have those red flashing lights. They’ve got that stop arm that’s extended when they’re offloading and unloading. So, we need to make sure that we’re stopping and we remain stopped and give a bit of a gap there,” he said.
Crossing guards
Not all schools have crossing guards, but when they do, they typically wear high visibility vests with bright colours and they have a stop paddle in hand.
“When motorists see that, we have to make sure that we’re stopping for them,” Knelsen said. “Make sure that they’ve got a safety pocket.”
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With so much going on in school zones, drivers need to locate pedestrians, children and cyclists as they’re moving through school zones.
“They may not be at the crosswalks, but they may move out in front of you and you have to be able to react to that. So having that speed at 30 kilometers an hour or slower can give you that area and that time to react,” Knelsen said.
Minimize risk
It’s also important to avoid U-turns and three-point turns. They are illegal to do in school zones and on crosswalks.
“To have a vehicle that’s turning around in there just creates so much issue and complications,” Knelsen said. “It’s a huge risk as well for everybody that’s out there.”
Parents bringing their kids to school and picking them up should stop in designated areas. It’s also safer to use the passenger side of the vehicle on the same side as the school, reducing the risk of children walking out or running out into traffic.
“Do not block that traffic. Do not stop that free flow of traffic there. Go to the designated areas,” Knelsen said. “If you can’t, feel free to move on down maybe a block and spend that time walking with your children or your child and having that discussion about when you’re walking to and from, how they should be… utilizing those safety areas within the school zone.”
Winter warning
As winter comes, parents who are stopping in school zones may reduce visibility with their exhaust if they leave their vehicles running.
“Consider shutting off that engine,” Knelsen said. “If you can move on down the road or if you can just shut it off and get those children safely off and on their way to school.”
Slow down for safety
With the first couple weeks of school, there will be an increased police presence in and around those school zones.
“We want everybody, when they’re traveling through those school zones… We need them to be on their A game. So, making sure those distractions are limited,” Knelsen said.
“Let’s just make this a safe year for everybody.”
There’s lots of things that we all can do to help keep our children safe on their way to and from school, but the most important thing is speed.
“Slow down, slow down, slow down. Again, it’s a 30 kilometer an hour zone unless otherwise posted in Saskatchewan here. This gives you the time to react to many of the things that can happen very quickly. There’s so much going on in those zones,” Knelsen said. “Lots of traffic, lots of people, lots of pedestrians and cyclists.”
With so much to take in, drivers need to make sure that they are focused on the road, aware, and not distracted.
“Everybody plays a role in keeping everybody safe. And again, I just want to make sure that everybody has a great and safe school year this year,” Knelsen said.
