On the Road Again

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Two signs the lazy, hazy days of summer are winding down are the CNE's annual air show and the shopping mall rush to buy school supplies.

And as the Labour Day weekend approaches many of our young folk begin preparing for that first day of the new school year. The safe arrival of our young citizens at school and home in the afternoon is of paramount importance to the Toronto Police Service.

With this in mind, Toronto Police will be launching its annual traffic and road safety campaign appropriately named Back to School.

The Back-to-School program will begin on Sept. 4 and will run for several weeks in an attempt to remind and encourage all motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to 'get back to basics' by obeying all the rules of the road.

The program will focus primarily in school zones where speed limits are typically reduced to 40 kilometres an hour or less. Some of the other infractions that officers will be on the lookout for include: disobeying the crossing guard, passing school buses when their lights are flashing, failing to yield to pedestrians at crosswalks and crossovers; as well as the usual stop sign and red light offences.

While many of these offences carry penalties ranging from $115 to several hundred dollars, the more serious offence of passing a stopped school bus carries an accumulation of six demerit points and a minimum first offence penalty of $400 and a minimum $1,000 penalty for any subsequent offence.

Motorists should also be aware that all fines are doubled if the offence occurs in a designated community safety zone, many of which are located within school zones.

In addition to the demerit points, a $115 fine can quickly turn into $230.

Let's all set a good example for our children and students by driving, cycling and walking with care to ensure the safe movement of students between home and school.

Now we mentioned the CNE's air show as a summer closeout.

Traffic officers patrolling both the Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard typically have their hands full keeping traffic moving once the planes are in the air.

Can you believe drivers actually come to a complete stop on the Gardiner Expressway just to catch a glimpse of the show?

Being struck from behind, particularly at speeds up to and a bit over 90 km/h, will have tragic results. Park your car and enjoy the show, but please not on the Expressway or Lake Shore Boulevard.