WITH students heading back to school on Monday, police are urging drivers to heed school zone speed limits.
Bayside Crime Prevention’s Acting Sergeant Monique Duncan said traffic police would be stationed at schools during signaled times.
She said children and teenagers were not able to judge speed and distance as well as adults, which meant the 40km/h school zone limit needed to be followed by motorists.
"We want our children to arrive at and leave school intact," Acting Sergeant Duncan said.
"Schools are meant to be safe places for children.”
She said the demerit point and financial penalties for speeding in school zones were the same as for other speed related offences but motorists sometimes found it harder to comply with the 40km/h requirement.
She said many motorists caught by police driving faster than the designated speeds were not aware of the reduced limits, which were varied depending on the school.
“They are not aware because they are not paying attention,” she said.
While most schools across the Redlands have reduced speeds between 7am and 9am and 2pm and 4pm throughout the school week, the limit runs throughout the day at schools where children are required to frequently cross the road for schooling activities, including Thornlands State School.
