York Regional Police issue safety reminder as kids head back to school

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 5, 2015
By Jeremy Grimaldi

For many of York Region's crossing guards, work is becoming less enjoyable, not to mention, less safe.

A group of them have told police that where dangerous driving used to be the exception to the rule in school zones, it's now the norm.

Guards say they are regularly witnessing motorists performing dangerous manoeuvres, speeding and talking on their phones while driving in and around schools.

One employee said she was forced to quickly grab a child off the road to save him from a speeding car that zoomed by.

Another said he is regularly witnessing cars pull out and try to pass other vehicles lined up and waiting patiently at crosswalks.

Perhaps the biggest indictment was the crossing guard who was forced to ask for a move, because she simply doesn't feel safe at the school.

"They're just very disappointed in the behaviours they see," York Regional Police Sgt. Karen Hodge said. "Some drivers don't stop, others yell at them. They take their jobs seriously, as they should. But they're not happy with what they're seeing."

These were just some of the stories being recounted Thursday at York police's ABC (Always Be Careful) event in Richmond Hill.

As part of the exercise, police officers outside Richmond Green Secondary School were stopping cars and warning them about strict guidelines inside school zones, which require drivers to slow down and regularly stop at cross walks.

For those disobeying inside community safety zones, fines double.

Officers were also advising drivers of the latest update to distracted driving laws that, as of Sept. 1, result in those caught being fined a minimum of $490 and a maximum of $1,000.

The fine also now includes three demerit points.

Sgt. Hodge said she has two girls herself, aged 11 and 7, who often see drivers texting or talking on their phones, only to exclaim: "They're bad mommy" and "Can you arrest them?".

"Drivers need to understand that these are kids," she added. "Often they're not paying attention and they expect veryone to stop for them.

The service conducted the exercise before school this year to ensure drivers slowed down before the school year begins, rather than during, Const. Laura Nicolle said.

She added that there are also new rules asking motorists to make a four-way stop when buses have flashing lights activated, remaining stopped from "curb to curb", intended to ensure cars don't pull off while those crossing are still in the road.

Sgt. Hodge added that York police are planning to give talks to high school students older than 16 about the dangers of distracted driving.