Saskatoon police urge drivers to get re-acquainted with school zone rules as classes resume

Students across Saskatoon are returning to classes, and police are urging drivers to get re-acquainted with the rules of the road in school zones.

They are not all the same.

Drivers near elementary schools and playgrounds must abide by a 30-kilometre-per-hour limit from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Fines for speeding in a school start at $250, and then increase in $2 increments for every kilometre over the posted limit.

High schools, on the other hand, do not have lower-than-normal limits.

"High schools are no longer a 30-kilometre-per-hour zone. So you have to look at the signage, they are still a school area, they're not a school zone," said Sgt. Ken Kane with Saskatoon police.

"So you'll see similar signs but there's no speed reduction necessary. However we would still advocate people be a little more aware when they're driving around those areas."

School zone speed limits and hours differ in each municipality, so drivers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the rules in their community and obey the posted signs.   

"Reducing your speed gives you more time to react and prevent a collision," said SGI president and CEO Penny McCune. "Excited kids may not always be paying attention to vehicle traffic, so expect the unexpected and drive slowly and carefully." 

She said speeding in school zones will land drivers a hefty fine and three demerit points under SGI's Safe Driver Recognition program.