With back-to-school season in full swing, police are reminding drivers to obey the rules of the road when it comes to school buses and school zones.
Students in Ottawa’s French language school boards return to class today and even more students in Ottawa’s English language boards will be heading to classes next week.
- RELATED: Everything you need to know about the start of the new school year
Under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA), motorists encountering a stopped school bus that has its safety lights and equipment activated must stop before reaching the bus and cannot proceed until the bus moves or the safety lights and equipment have been de-activated.
This applies in both directions and on multi-lane roads.
An exception is in place on roads with a median. Traffic coming from the opposite direction is not required to stop.
Failure to stop can result in fines to the vehicle owner. The fine for failing to stop for a school bus is $400 to $2,000 and six demerit points for the first offence. Subsequent offences carry a fine of between $1,000 and $4,000, six demerit points and possible jail time of up to six months.
Additionally, school zone enforcement is in place again, meaning speed limits are reduced and fines for infractions such as speeding are increased.
Police say children may be excited for their first days of school and may not be paying attention to traffic. The onus is on drivers to be mindful of pedestrians around them.
