It’s back to school on Monday and Tasmania Police is reminding parents to speak with their children about road safety.

Inspector Adrian Shadbolt said:

“The first day back to school can be exciting for some children and we want parents to make sure that road safety is foremost on children’s minds when they arrive at school on that first morning.

“There will be greater traffic congestion around schools and this can present a hazard.

“We don’t want children to take risks around cars and traffic.”

Wherever possible, children should cross at a designated crossing or be supervised when crossing the road.

With added traffic congestion and busy schedules there is also the temptation of drivers to ignore parking restrictions and speed limits.
Tasmania Police will be enforcing school and bus zone speed limits.

“Parking laws in school zones increase pedestrian and driver visibility and are ultimately in place for the safety of everybody,” Inspector Shadbolt said.

“Speeding puts drivers and pedestrians at risk, especially around school zones.”

Some points of safety to keep in mind relating to school bus stops:

• A speed limit of 40km/h applies within 50 metres of a school bus with flashing yellow lights and the law requires drivers to slow down to that speed
• When dropping children off at the bus stop, parents should drop them off on the same side of the road that the bus collects the children from, and
• When dropping off or picking up children from the bus stop, parents should not park on the opposite side of the road – If there is no choice, it is recommended that the vehicle is parked safely and children are met as they get off the bus and escorted safely across the road.