The Olds and Area Traffic Safety Committee (OATS) will be out reminding motorists the week of Sept. 23 to slow down in school zones during school hours.
A 30-kilometre-per-hour speed limit is in effect in school zones on school days from 8 to 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Teachers at various schools in Olds, Didsbury, Sundre, Cremona, Carstairs, Bowden, Innisfail and Penhold have teamed up with the committee to get students to write messages on recipe cards which will be handed to motorists reminding them to slow down in school zones.
“We're reminding people that school is back in and that people need to slow down during the school zone times. A couple of weeks later (after) people have had the opportunity to have that (reminder), there will probably be an enforcement campaign,” said Stephanie Catudal, co-chair of OATS.
Catudal said while it's important for motorists to slow down in school zones throughout the school year, at this time of year when students have just finished the summer break they may not be thinking about safety.
“(Students) have been taught that they need to look both ways before they cross the street but when they're just new, back in school and meeting up with old friends, that's not always the top thing in their mind,” she said.
The campaign started in September 2011. Catudal said she believes the campaign has raised awareness about the importance of slowing down and driving defensively in school zones. She said when she handed out the cards, some motorists were initially defensive about being given the reminders, until they saw the messages written by the students themselves.
“People, I think, got a bit defensive, but when they saw the message was from a child in their community that had done this card to say, ‘Hey, think about me, I'm in school, slow down please,' then it kind of softened the message,” she said.
It's not known how many students are writing messages this year, but Catudal said most of the cards should now be in the hands of teachers.
