Police warn P.E.I. drivers to watch for school buses as classes begin
Drivers who fail to stop for a school bus with red lights flashing will face heavy fines
It's the first day of class for most P.E.I. children, and police are reminding Island drivers to watch out for school buses when they hit the road.
Last year, the RCMP received 62 reports of drivers failing to stop when a school bus turns on its red lights. Eleven people were charged with breaking the rules in parts of the province policed by the Mounties, which is everything outside Charlottetown, Summerside and Kensington.
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The number of reports was down from 95 people the year before, but police said school bus drivers are still concerned.
Cst. Jamie Parsons said more RCMP officers than usual will be on the road for the first two weeks of school, following buses during their routes. He said police will do everything in their power to keep children safe.
"All of our members will be on the road," he said.
"We always follow school buses. We try to mix up different school zones each day. There's no specific ones at this time, but if a school bus driver approaches us and says, 'Hey, we have problems on my route in particular,' then we will certainly work with that bus driver."
Parsons said a lot of people are reluctant to go through the process of reporting drivers who failed to stop for school buses, and people who do make reports sometimes supply details that are too vague for police to follow up on.
If anyone witnesses a driver breaking the rules, Parsons said they should try to note details like the number and province on the vehicle's licence plate, the time of the day, what direction the driver was traveling, and what the driver looked like.
"We certainly need that person as well to cooperate with us with our investigation by giving a statement and, if needed, to come to court to testify," Parsons said.
Rule-breakers face 3-month suspension
When the flashing red lights are on, drivers must stop their vehicle no less than six metres from the front or rear of the bus, and remain stopped until the signal is off.
Drivers found to have ignored the lights can face fines ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. The infraction also automatically gives them 12 demerit points off their driver's licence, leading to a three-month suspension.
In an active school zone, speeding fines can be double what they would be otherwise on Island roads.
More than 20,000 P.E.I. students are heading to school this week.
With files from Gabrielle Drummond and Julien Lecacheur