Cochrane RCMP said they will be out on Sept. 2 patrolling school zones as kids head back to classes.
Constable Nathan Moore said officers always make a point of patrolling the school zones during the peak hours: at the start and end of the school day and at lunch time.
“We make a point of being out there, looking for things like distracted driving, speeding, drivers ignoring crosswalks, that kind of thing,” Moore said.
In Cochrane, school zones are in effect from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“It’s the same for playground zones, I believe,” he said.
Moore said fines for the offenses vary. Distracted driving carries a fine of $172 while speeding fines are based on how fast over the posted limit the driver is going.
“Going 15-kilometres-an-hour over the limit will net you a $89 fine, while going 20 kilometres over the limit comes with a $120 fine,” Moore said.
“Fines go up from there.”
Moore said he’s often seen drivers failing to stop at crosswalks.
“They need to wait until the person walking is clear of their vehicle,” he said.
Failing to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk comes with a hefty fine, according to Moore. “It’s $575 and four demerit points,” he said.
Officers from the RCMP detachment in Beiseker will also be out patrolling school zones on Sept. 2.
Cst. Larry Firmston said officers from the detachment have a number of schools to patrol.
“We cover Kathyrn to Linden, so it will be Kathyrn School, Beiseker, Acme and Linden School,” he said.
“We’ll be out and about doing speed enforcement and stuff like that. We’re going to hit all the schools and do some patrols inside the schools and go and meet all the teachers and principals like we do every year,” he added.
“It makes for better relations when it comes to things happening during the school (year).” Firmston said the thing he deals with the most on the first few days of a new school year is speeding drivers.
“Everybody’s used to doing their normal speeds and they forget about the school zones,” he explained. “We usually, depending on fast they’re going, depending on the attitude, just remind them of the speed, and sometimes they’ll get a ticket.”
School zones are in effect in Beiseker, Linden, Acme and Kathyrn from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
