With summer coming to a close, school zones will be back in effect across Winnipeg in a few days, and police are urging both students and drivers to pay attention to their surroundings when crossing the street.
The advice, Const. Bryan Foltz told 680 CJOB’s The Start, is very simple: look both ways and stay off your phone.
“As parents, it’s out job to help educate our kids to make sure that they’re doing the right thing, (that) they know the rules so that they’re getting home safely,” Foltz said.
“Kids are sometimes buried in their cellphones because they’ve got to play their little games, but it’s important to be eyes-up — especially when you’re on those crosswalks.”
Foltz said it’s also important for pedestrians to make eye contact with drivers at crosswalks, to ensure that they’re seen.
“That way you know they’re seeing you and you’re seeing them,” he said. “There’s not any sort of ambiguity.
“You might have the right of way, but a 2,000-3,000-pound car, if that person’s not paying attention … don’t let a momentary lapse of judgement lead to a lifetime of regret.”
As of Sept. 1, school zones of 30 kilometres per hour are back in effect, which could lead to big penalties for scofflaw drivers.
Reduced speed in school zones
