As students across the Central Okanagan made their way back to school on Tuesday, so too did the Kelowna RCMP, to remind drivers about the rules of school zones.
“Both our municipal traffic service members and our members from the southeast district traffic service will be out in full force all week long, educating drivers,” said Kelowna RCMP Const. Mike Della-Paolera.
“We are not wanting to write tickets, but we will be writing warning tickets, just reminding people that it’s time to slow down in the school zones.”
Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., school zones in Kelowna will be in effect. The speed limit for those driving in a school zone is 30 km/h unless posted otherwise.
At Raymer Elementary School, the Kelowna RCMP say many drivers in the area haven’t adjusted their speeds as children made their way to class Tuesday morning.
“We’re getting the average speed of around 50 km/h in the school zone, which means people are just driving like it’s a regular day, so they’re not quite ready for school yet,” said Della-Paolera.
In just one hour, police issued three written warning tickets to drivers who were caught speeding. Della-Paolera says he isn’t surprised given the challenges and stress many Central Okanagan residents have recently faced after wildfires forced thousands to evacuate.
“Obviously the last couple three weeks, the people in the Central Okanagan have had their minds on other things, and this is probably the first normal thing that a family has had to do in the last couple weeks, but they still need a little reminder that school zones are in effect at 7:30 in the morning,” said Della-Paolera.
It’s not just drivers with a need for speed that officers are on the lookout for, they’re also looking for those who are still driving distracted — putting children’s lives at risk.
“Distracted driving, being on the phones — that’s something that we’re always concerned about, it is something that we do focus on, but especially in the school zones,” said Della-Paolera.
“We’re really concerned about that.”
As parents sent their children off to school, some say that seeing a police presence in school zones gives them peace of mind.
“That’s the first thing my son actually noticed that, you know, ‘ Hey mom look, there’s police there trying to make sure everyone is following the speed limits,’ I think that’s very important,” said parent Qurrat Ulain.
“I did feel that people were speeding a bit here in the summer, so it’s nice that they’re here on the first day keeping things in check.”
Those caught going over the posted speed limit in a school zone run the risk of a $198 ticket, and three demerit points.