Officers issued 57 tickets for speeding across Niagara Region. Photo Credit: NRPS/X.
The Niagara Regional Police Service launched its 24th Annual Back-to-School Traffic Safety and Awareness Day on Sept. 3, with more than 50 additional officers pulled in for duty.
The NRPS has been doing annual awareness days since 2000.
Senior officers and officers not assigned to frontline policing were assigned to Community Safety Zones across Niagara to remind motorists through education and enforcement of the need to drive especially safe in areas near schools.
Some of the additional officers were on foot operating extra speed enforcement cameras. These officers were concentrated in Smithville, Grimsby, Welland, and St. Catharines.
This year’s Back-to-School Traffic Safety and Awareness Day had four key focuses: speeding, distracted driving, seat belt infractions, and aggressive driving.
Officers conducted 147 traffic stops related to the Back-to-School Traffic Safety and Awareness Day. Officers issued 57 tickets for speeding across Niagara Region. Twenty-nine other tickets were issued for other offences under the Highway Traffic Act of Ontario, bringing the total number of tickets issued to 86.
In addition to tickets issued, 56 warnings were given by officers. Three persons were also arrested when they were stopped and found to have outstanding warrants.
One of the key messages the NRPS was trying to get out was to remind drivers to drive defensively, particularly near schools. This includes increased eye lead and scanning ahead when driving. Defensive driving is said to better allow motorists to see things like stopped school buses or crossing guards as they are performing their duties.
While the NRPS put a special emphasis on safety near schools on Back-to-School Traffic Safety and Awareness Day, they also issued a press release to emphasize that enforcement will continue throughout the school year.
“Officers will continue in prioritizing traffic safety within school zones, concentrating on drivers who exhibit aggressive behavior or distracted driving,” said the release.
The release went on to encourage all drivers to stay alert, drive carefully, and remain mindful of their surroundings.
With classes starting up again, that also means that school buses are back on the roads. Over 100 of Niagara Region’s school buses are equipped with video cameras, which are able to capture evidence of drivers who fail to stop for loading school buses. This is a driving infraction, and police area able to follow up on the video, determine if there are grounds for charges, and send a notice to a vehicle owner’s last known address.
Jay Goldberg is the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. He previously served as a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
