Richmond RCMP remind drivers to slow down as students return to class

Richmond RCMP are urging drivers to obey speed limits and watch for children walking, cycling and using wheeled devices near schools as students return to class Sept. 8. The detachment's Road Safety Unit and Community Engagement Team will conduct targeted enforcement and outreach outside local schools during the first weeks of the school year, with support from Community Policing Volunteers.

Unless otherwise posted, school-zone speed limits are 30 km/h on school days from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Playground limits of 30 km/h apply daily from dawn to dusk. Police are reminding drivers to put away their phones, watch for stopped school buses and be prepared to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks.

Richmond RCMP also said parents and caregivers should check the rules before allowing children to ride e-scooters to school. Richmond participates in the Province's Electric Kick Scooter Pilot Project, which sets a minimum riding age of 16. Riders must wear helmets, stay off sidewalks and follow road rules.

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to follow their school's drop-off and pick-up procedures, practise travel routes with children and discuss safe crossing. ICBC says an average of 50 children are injured while walking or cycling in B.C. in September, more than in any other month. Provincewide, an average of three children are killed and 402 are injured each year in crashes while walking or cycling. Drivers caught speeding in school or playground zones face fines; those travelling 40 km/h or more above the limit also risk a roadside driving prohibition and vehicle impoundment.