Senior Constables Peter Bast and Gemma Hamilton from Pakenham Police urge drivers to slow down at school zones, which will be back in force next week.By Sarah Schwagerand Paul Dunlop
PAKENHAM Police have warned local drivers to be wary of school speed zones, which are set to resume next week.
As most schools go back on Monday, drivers will need to be on the lookout for schoolchildren around roads and crossings at peak hour times before and after school.
Acting Sergeant Col Davies from the Pakenham Traffic Management Unit said motorists needed to be mindful of school zones and watch for children walking from behind parked cars.
“This time of year it is especially important to be careful around schools,” Acting Sgt Davies said.
“Kids are attending school for the first time and parents are dropping off their kids for the first time.
“Also, students have been away from school for six weeks and may not be as used to being around busy roads.”
Acting Sgt Davies said a new police target, Operation Visibility, started yesterday (Wednesday).
The operation targets speeding drivers on major arterial roads and back roads around the area.
There will also be extra police patrolling school zones for the start of term.
The school speed zones have been introduced outside schools around Pakenham over the past 18 months.
They include permanent 40 km/h speed limits outside schools on 50km/h roads.
There are also timebased 60km/h speed limits outside schools such as the Pakenham Secondary College and Pakenham Consolidated School, which front the Princes Highway.
Police said research had shown that reducing speed was a key factor in both avoiding crashes and reducing their severity.
Even a small reduction in travelling speed could dramatically increase the chance of a child surviving in a collision, they said.
Transport Minister Peter Batchelor said slowing down while passing a school was a small price to pay for saving the life of a child or sparing them from lifelong serious injuries.
“In many ways, this campaign is about changing community attitudes towards speed, and ensuring that motorists slow down in high risk areas, such as around schools,” he said.
“We all have a role to play in spreading the message that speeding is unacceptable on Victorian roads and will not be tolerated around schools for the safety of our children.”
