Slow down in school zones

With the new school year starting this week, local police are urging drivers to remember to slow down and be on the lookout for children in school zones.

Moreton Police District Crime Prevention Co-ordinator Senior Constable Danielle Grauf says children’s behaviour around traffic and roads can be unpredictable, particularly if they do not use pedestrian or signalled crossings.

“Children often don’t think about the dangers around roads and cars and can be easily distracted and not look out for dangers- therefore drivers need to be extra vigilant when driving past a school zone,” Sen-Constable Grauf says.

This time of the year is particularly worrying for police, after the long summer holiday.

“School is out for eight weeks, the crossing lights warning of a school zone ahead are turned off and drivers become complacent driving that road,” Sen-Constable Grauf says.

“When school returns, there needs to be an adjustment point to get drivers conditioned to driving safely through the school zone again, which is police enforcement.”

From the first day of school, police highway patrol officers will enforce speed limits in school zones, moving to different schools each day. This will continue throughout the school term.

Sen-Constable Grauf says no particular school zone is more of a speeding hotspot than others.

“We receive traffic complaints for various offences including speeding from almost every school in the district,” she says.