Police cracking down on dangerous drivers in school zones
Posted September 6, 2015 8:19 am.
Last Updated September 6, 2015 8:33 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – As children head back to class this week there are going to be some major changes on local roads and not just for parents and kids but for drivers. You can expect to see an increased police presence as they crack down on those speeding in school zones. And speeding is just one problem — distracted driving is another and apparently so is impaired driving.
“We had a press conference at a school a couple of years ago. It was the first day back to school, it was 8:30 a.m., we pulled over a driver and not only were they speeding in a school zone but they were drunk. Obviously, stupid to begin with to be speeding in a school zone to put the safety of children at risk but doubly stupid to be drunk,” explains Vancouver Police Constable Brian Montague.
Police across Metro Vancouver are worried that it’s only a matter of time until a driver loses focus behind the wheel and someone gets hurt. “We’ve been very fortunate in recent years that we haven’t had any real tragedies but we continue to ask drivers — many of them are parents dropping their kids off or picking them up — to be really watchful of everything. We ask they pay attention, not be in a hurry and to keep their cellphone out of their hands.”
Unfortunately, despite repeated warnings police say moms and dads continue to ignore the rules. “You would think that the average person would realize that speeding through a school zone is not safe. But I can tell you by the number of tickets we hand out and the number of people we stop — clearly people don’t get that.”
“It’s really sad when someone can’t slow down for 20 seconds through a school zone because they think it’s going to impact their day. I can tell you what’s going to impact their day is if they run over a child on their way to work or on the way to whatever appointment they have.”
Remember its 30 km/h from 8am to 5pm on school days and fines begin at $196.
Fines/Penalties in schools zones:
If you go more than 20 km/h over the speed limit: $253
If you go more than 40 km/h over the speed limit: $368 ticket and your car is impounded
If you go more than 60 km/h over the speed limit: $483 ticket and your car is impounded
