REGINA, Sask. — For thousands of Saskatchewan students, today marks the return to classrooms, school buses, crosswalks and busy streets. For drivers, it also means it is time to slow down and pay much closer attention.
SGI, Regina Police Service, Regina Public Schools and the City of Regina gathered in Regina Wednesday to put school zone safety into perspective, including a demonstration showing just how dramatically stopping distances increase when a vehicle travels faster.
SGI executive vice president of vehicle and driver programs Karol Noe says drivers should not let a positive safety record create a false sense of security or become complacent behind the wheel.
“Thankfully, school zone collisions are very rare in Saskatchewan,” Noe said. “With classes back in session, SGI wants to remind drivers to slow down and be alert.”
Sgt. Tanner Maurice with the Regina Police Service’s Specialized Traffic Reconstruction and Impaired Driving Enforcement unit, or STRIDE, helped demonstrate what happens when a driver encounters a child in a crosswalk.
At 30 kilometres an hour, a vehicle needs about 11 metres to come to a complete stop when reaction time is included. At 50 kilometres an hour, that distance jumps to roughly 25 metres.
Maurice says the difference is far greater than many drivers might expect.
“As you approach doubling your speed, you don't simply double your stopping distance requirement, you actually quadruple it,” Maurice said.
The demonstration accounted for both the physical distance required to stop and the time it takes a driver to recognize a potential collision and move their foot from the accelerator to the brake.
Maurice says even a reaction time of three-quarters of a second can add significant distance, and reaction times can easily be longer.
“That doesn't actually factor in the human element, which is the driver,” he said. “The driver, of course, needs to recognize that a collision is imminent, and it actually takes a measurable amount of time for their brain to tell their foot to come off the gas and apply the brake.”
That is why drivers are being reminded to obey the posted 30-kilometre-per-hour speed limit in school zones, put away their phones and stay focused on what is happening around them.
SGI communications consultant Michaela Solomon says drivers should also take some time to identify the school zones along their regular routes.
“Take the time to know where the school zones are in your commute and in your neighbourhood and just make sure you're really paying attention to what's going on in those areas,” Solomon said.
She says school zones can become particularly unpredictable once students return.
“You've got school buses, you've got children crossing the road and they're really excited to get to school and they might not always remember to look both ways,” Solomon said.
And while the return to school is a timely reminder, Solomon points out that school-zone speed limits do not disappear during the summer.
“School zones are in effect year round,” she said. “Even though the students weren't out this summer, we still expect drivers to slow down to that 30 kilometres per hour.”
Regina police are also highlighting another rule that continues to catch some motorists off guard: U-turns are prohibited in school zones.
Constable Jim Monaghan of the STRIDE unit says police have seen improvement when it comes to speeding, but U-turns remain a recurring problem.
“All of the schools actually are no U-turn zones,” Monaghan said.
He says the rule has been in place for years, but some drivers still tell officers they did not know about it.
“It seems to me mainly it's, ‘Oh, I didn't know that rule,’” Monaghan said.
Monaghan says drivers should also remember that playground-zone rules can apply beyond regular school hours.
“A school zone turns into a playground zone on Saturday,” he said.
That means drivers need to pay attention to the signs and understand that reduced-speed zones can apply seven days a week.
Police are also asking parents to think carefully about where they stop when dropping children off. Stopping in prohibited areas can block sight lines and make it harder for other drivers to see pedestrians entering a crosswalk.
Maurice says everyone has a role to play.
“We need those students reminding their parents not to stop in areas that it's going to make it more difficult to see a crosswalk for those that are adhering to the rules,” he said. “It's a collaborative effort.”
Regina Public Schools CEO and director of education Mark Haarmann says the responsibility for getting students safely to and from school extends well beyond the classroom.
“School zone safety is like an open-book exam: speed limits are clearly posted, the signs are bright yellow, and everything you need to know is right in front of you,” Haarmann said.
“The safety of our students and staff is a shared responsibility so slow down, obey traffic and parking signs, and stay alert when driving in and around school zones.”
Police say there will be additional education and enforcement initiatives throughout September as motorists settle back into their school-year routines.
For Maurice, the message to drivers is straightforward.
“Pay attention. Eyes up, eyes off your phone. Obey the speed limit of 30 km an hour. Expect the unexpected.”
And that last point may be the most important one as Saskatchewan's youngest road users return to school.
“Expect that some of our younger students aren't quite adept at using the crosswalks as they should be, or they may be excited and dash out,” Maurice said. “So having your eyes out and paying attention is going to be one of the most important factors.”
