Drivers Urged to Use Extra Caution as Kids Return to School

LETHBRIDGE –  Kids across southern Alberta will be returning to school later this week and early next week, meaning you’ll need to be even more careful behind the wheel.
 
Palliser’s Transportation Services Supervisor, David Shaw, stated that a major part of keeping children safe is simply stopping for a school bus when it’s red lights are flashing, but noted that not enough people seem ot get that message.
 
“We had an increase last year over the previous year,” Shaw explained. “We actually had 62 reported fly-bys in our school division last year, which was over the 53 from the previous year. In the four years we tracked, it was the first year we went up.”
 
Shaw pointed out that they’re hoping to provide an added deterrence to those who ignore the lights.
 
“We have 59 bus routes in the Palliser School Division and over half those busses now have camera units in them, so if somebody doesn’t come to a stop and decides to roll passed our bus when the red lights are flashing, we do catch their licence plate, and we send it to law enforcement.”
 
Failing to stop for a school bus with red lights flashing could result in a ticket of $543.