After a two-week break for the holidays, staff and students will be heading back to school on Monday.
City police are urging motorists to be extra vigilant as they get behind the wheel this week, reminding drivers that, with schools back in session for the new year, they can expect to see and should be ready to share the road with school buses, and be aware of more pedestrians as they cross roads.
“It’s a shared responsibility. We want to make sure that these students that are returning to school can get there safely, whether it be by school bus, walking or parents dropping them off,” said Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon.
“It’s been a few weeks since the children have been able to see their friends and they’re going to be excited to share what they did over the Christmas holidays, who they saw and what gifts they received … so there’s going to be an excitement level where they will see somebody and maybe run towards them," he added.
Every small thing a driver can do, whether it's simply reducing your speed in and around school areas, watching for flashing lights and stop arms on buses or being more aware of your surroundings when backing out of your driveway.
“Take an extra step and make sure there’s nobody coming,” he urged. “There are no snowbanks to contend with and kids aren’t necessarily going to be bundled up the way they were because we’ve had milder weather. It’s just a total awareness piece for everybody.”
Although Leon said officers won’t necessarily be patrolling school zones specifically on Monday, they are aware that students are back to school and will be prepared to address any issues or concerns that could arise.
“I just think it’s very important for people to have that gentle reminder that school starts on Monday, and there are going to be people in places that they haven’t been in for a couple of weeks,” he said. “There’s always the potential for an incident to take place and we are just trying to prevent that from occurring.”
