A recent news release from the SGI is serving as a reminder to be aware of children crossing the road in school zones.

It was recently revealed that during the month of September, more than 1400 tickets were handed out to school zone speeders. Breaking it down, 1,424 tickets were given for speeding, while 13 tickets were issued for failing to yield to a pedestrian, and 5 tickets were issued for failing to properly stop for a school bus.

As it stands, motorists are the single biggest risk to children in school zones. Motorists are reminded to obey school zone speed limits and crossing guards, use proper judgment when stopping or parking, and to respect busing lanes, as well as the lights and signs on the buses themselves.

It is also important that children are responsible for their own safety as well. Parents can teach their children not to use proper crosswalks instead of jaywalking, look both ways before crossing the street, and to keep phones and other electronics away to be aware of their surroundings (which applies to motorists as well).

The speeding fine for school zones is $170, with an additional $4 for every kilometre the individual is driving over the posted speed limit.

The SGI release also included other driving offences for the month of September. These offences included 286 impaired driving cases, 901 offences for distracted driving, 515 tickets relating to seat belts, and over 6400 tickets for speeding or aggressive driving separate from school zone speeders.

While motorists pose the greatest risk to children, collisions involving children in school zones that result in injuries are fairly rare.