Over 60 000 children will be back to school this week in Canterbury with many starting out for the first time.
"Expect to see extra police on the roads and outside schools as they ensure children get to school safely," says Senior Sergeant John Robinson. "Many children will be going to school for the first time; for others it might be a new school or even using their bicycle for the first time to get there."
John Robinson recommends parents of younger children give their child a 'practise' run (or walk) before next week.
"They do forget over the holidays and there might be changes or road works which complicate the route."
Parents who drive their children to school should drop them off well away from the gate to avoid the `chaos' often at the entrance.
"A safer place to drop them off might be 100-200 m further back where visibility is better and there is not so much congestion," he says.
Parents should teach children to cross roads only at recognised and controlled crossings and by their own example.
It is to be expected that there will be more traffic on roads next week with parents taking children to school and starting back to work themselves, therefore more pressure as families get organised to catch transport and meet new start times. Drivers and cyclists should be aware that small children are more likely to make unexpected moves.
Another issue Senior Sergeant Robinson wants to promote is aimed at older students who drive themselves to school.
"Please ensure they comply with their restricted license. A restricted license does not allow you to take passengers, even your brother or sister or best friend, if they don't have a full license themselves and have had it for at least 2 years," he says.
Canterbury Road Police are focusing on general driving behaviour around schools for the start of the year, especially speeding, and ensuring that the 5 km/h tolerance around schools will be strictly enforced.
"The number of parents who drop their children at school in the mornings and uplift them in the afternoon contributes to the problem by double-parking, or worse, parking across the road from the school which requires their children to cross the busy road to get to them. We face this every year," says Inspector Al Stewart.
Police will be using both speed cameras and lasers and strictly enforcing the speed limit within a school zone, which is within 250 metres of school boundaries.
"Drivers have no excuse for not seeing the large bright signs outside schools advising when speed limits are in operation."
Staff will also be monitoring school bus routes and enforcing the 20km/hour restriction that applies for vehicles passing a stationary school bus stopped for the purpose of picking up or letting students off a bus.
"Our aim is to prevent fatal and injury crashes involving children around schools," says Inspector Stewart.
In Canterbury District, between 2005 and 2009, 183 children (aged between 4 and 18) were injured within 250m of a school zone during the key risk times of 7.30 to 9.00am and 2.30 - 4.00pm, weekdays, one fatally (2007). There were 33 serious injuries and 149 minor. Drivers between 15 and 19 years were at fault in 50% of the injury crashes.