In a reminder to slow down in school zones, Greater Sudbury Police Service has publicized the legal consequences of failing to do so.
At approximately 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, police pulled over a driver for travelling 116 km/h in a 40 km/h school zone.
The Alberta driver was issued a 30-day driver’s licence suspension, 14-day vehicle impound and was charged with the offence of speeding and stunt driving.
“We would like to remind the public to slow down in our school zones and keep our children safe,” police said in a social media post
Tuesday marks students’ return to school, and it remains to be seen whether police will engage in a traffic blitz to help remind motorists of the importance of school zones.
In 2018, police cracked down on motorists during the first day of school, during which they issued 30 tickets. A similar crackdown the previous year yielded 36 tickets.
All school zone speed limits are posted at 40 km/h to provide drivers with a better opportunity to make an unanticipated stop safely. The speed limit is in effect 24-hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
School buses are going to look a bit different when they hit the road for the new school year on Tuesday, with the vehicles now required to include new displays.
Effective July 1 of this year, Ontario began requiring school buses manufactured after January 2005 to operate an eight-lamp amber-red warning system.
Buses will also display signage at the rear of the vehicles that reads “do not pass when red lights flashing.”
When the red lights and stop sign are activated on the school bus, drivers on both sides of the roadway are expected to stop, unless it’s a roadway separated by a median (in that case, only the vehicles coming from behind the bus must stop).
It is illegal to fail to stop for a stopped school bus that has its red lights flashing. If you don’t stop, you can be fined $400 to $2,000 and receive six demerit points for a first offence.
