RCMP arrested a Hedley man with a connection to a fatal motor vehicle accident that happened near Hedley.
(SHANNON QUESNEL / iNFOnews.ca)
August 28, 2013 - 10:36 AM
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - RCMP want the new school year to go smoothly and that means drivers need to slow down and watch for children.
Children will be back to walking or biking to school or getting on and off a bus next week. Unless otherwise posted a 30 kilometre per hour speed limit is in effect in school zones from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting Tuesday. If the vehicle ahead or in the next lane is stopped they may be yielding to a pedestrian, so be prepared to stop. Vehicles approaching from both directions must stop for school buses when their lights are flashing.
Now that summer is coming to a close there will be more children on the streets, back from a summer vacation. Drivers need to pay attention to parked cars and trucks. Most children can be obscured by the height of vehicles and can zip out between them onto the street surprising oncoming drivers.
Drivers should inspect their vehicles before climbing inside to make sure no small children are behind it and always look for pedestrians when backing up.
Parents should get their children to remove their headphones and put away phones and other gadges when crossing streets. Pedestrians should make eye contact with drivers, so you both know you see each other.
Car crashes are still the number one preventable cause of death for children and youth in B.C. aged 5 to 18. As people return to work and school from summer holidays, drivers should plan for more traffic, be extra cautious and watch for children, especially in or around school zones.
Speeding in a school or playground zone nets a fine from $196 to $253 and failing to stop for a school bus, not yielding to a pedestrian and disobeying a school bus guard all result in a $167 fine.
To contact a reporter for this story, to send photos or videos, email Shannon Quesnel at squesnel@infotelnews.ca, call 250-488-3065, tweet @shannonquesnel1 or @InfoNewsPentict
News from © iNFOnews, 2013