Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Primary and Secondary school students will be heading back to school this week and Hutt City Council and Lower Hutt police ask that all motorists take extra care when driving near schools.
Hutt City Council Road Safety Coordinator, Anna Blomquist says that children often lack the ability to safely judge the distance and speed of oncoming cars and this makes them particularly vulnerable.
Lower Hutt Police, Road Policing Supervisor Sergeant Bruce Farley states that Police will be targeting speeding motorists around schools throughout the year. “Police have a zero tolerance policy when dealing with motorists who put our children at risk by speeding around schools.” The message is clear - speeding will not be tolerated especially around schools.
Traffic congestion around the school gate is another issue at this time of year. Hutt City council and Lower Hutt police would like to remind all motorists that parking on yellow lines and on footpaths is not acceptable. “It’s particularly dangerous if children have to walk onto the road because vehicles are parked over driveways making the footpaths inaccessible”.
One of the best ways to reduce congestion and practice road safety with your children is to walk them to school. This allows parents and caregivers the opportunity to demonstrate safe road practices as well as enjoying the various health benefits together. Many parents in Hutt city have implemented Walking School Buses, which allows parents to take turns ‘driving’ the bus, safely escorting their children to school.
For further information about Walking School Buses please contact Anna Blomquist, 5706730, anna.blomquit@huttcity.govt.nz.