SGI has released September's Spotlight for September results.

The release is as follows: 

Breaking the speed limit in a school zone is like bombing an open-book test.

There are big, reflective signs in every school zone that clearly state what the speed limit is and when it’s in effect. Unfortunately, even with that cheat sheet, a large number of drivers were given a failing grade last month by police in the form of a costly speeding ticket.

During the September spotlight on school zones, police issued:

  • 1,424 tickets to drivers for speeding in school zones
  • 13 tickets to drivers for failing to yield to a pedestrian.
  • four tickets for either passing a school bus or failing to stop 5 m from a school bus when safety lights were in operation

If these stats were a report card, it would be marked “Much room for improvement,” and someone would probably be getting grounded.

SGI encourages motorists to always take care while driving through school zones, to obey all posted speed limits, avoid distractions while driving, and to watch for excited children darting out between cars. Motorists pose the greatest risk to children in school zones, but thankfully, due to lowered speed limits and other safety measures, collisions involving children in school zones that result in injuries are fairly rare. Let’s all do what we can to #KeepKidsSafe.

Other results reported by police during September include:

  • 286 impaired driving offenses, including 242 Criminal Code charges
  • 901 distracted driving offenses, including 773 tickets related to cellphone use while driving
  • 515 tickets related to seatbelts, car seats or booster seats
  • 6,463 speeding or aggressive driving tickets (apart from school zone speeders)

October’s Traffic Safety Spotlight is on distracted driving, which is a problem that is out of hand. Thankfully, so is the solution – put your phone out of reach (glovebox, back seat, trunk), so you’re not tempted to use it while driving. Just focus on the road.