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Column Drivesmart: The school year begins again

We place a high value on our children and signify that with school and playground zones.
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Remember to slow down in school zones. (Citizen file)

By Tim Schewe

We place a high value on our children and signify that with school and playground zones. Traffic is required to slow to the lowest speed limit that we normally post and drivers are expected to pay more attention than usual. Students must get to and from school safely.

The lime yellow pentagon is the standard sign used to mark school zones. What a driver must do depends on the tab, if any, placed below it.

School crosswalks, marked and unmarked, are another consideration. They are often controlled by crossing guards and you must obey the guard’s direction. When a guard is not present it’s probably best to expect the unexpected. It doesn’t matter if you are a driver or a pedestrian, stop, look, listen, make eye contact and proceed only when safe.

Finally, we’d better have a quick look at the school bus too. You may see flashing red lights, which we should all understand to mean stop and not pass the bus until they are turned off.

This concludes our lesson for the day class, do you have any questions?

Tim Schewe is a retired constable with many years of traffic law enforcement. To comment or learn more, please visit DriveSmartBC.ca