Drivers speed through Orlans school zone with abandon

It didn't take long for Const. Luc Mongeon to nab his first speeder Thursday morning in front of Terry Fox Elementary School in Orlans.

Less than a minute after pointing his laser gun down the stretch of JeanneD'ArcBoulevard, Mongeonpulled over the driver of adark greyVolkswagen Jettadoing 68 km/h in the school zone, where the limit is 40 km/h during the morning and afternoon commutes.

"His licence was expired since last year, his plates were expired, and he had no proof of vehicle ownership or insurance," Mongeon said.

'Everyone tells me they're a good driver'

The pace didn't slow down after that. In aspan of 80minutes,Mongeon and his partner Const.Danny Lavergeissued 18tickets for speedingand anothereight ticketsfor various offences such as expired plates or missing plate stickers.

But it's the speeding that really gets to Mongeon, who, inhis17 years of service with the force, has heard every excuse.

"People are heading to work, they're late, they have appointments, and they ignore the law," Mongeon said. "Everyone tells me they're a good driveror they don't speed. I say, 'You've probably been speeding regularly, you just haven't been caught by police.'"

While many drivers might feel a little excess speed isn't the end of the world, Mongeon argues it's a case of basic physics.

"Things happen in front of them, there's a perceptiontime, a reaction time, and it affects the braking distance. Despite how good you are, something can happen to you where a child can get killed."

Speedtrap notificationsa thorn for police

The police officer's Thursday morning speed trap caught the attention ofusers of the app Waze, which includes a controversial feature.

The navigation app lets usersgeotag apolice speed trap if they spot one. Thatinformation is uploaded in real time and gives otherWaze users an audible alert from their smartphonesas theyapproach thespeed trap, warning them to slow down.

"Right now there's 78 people tagging us on Waze," said Const.Lavergne, 90minutes after first setting up their speed trap."It's technology.There's not much we can do."

But despite theappand the upcoming Ontariolaunch of photo radar in school zones, Mongeonfigures he'll have plenty of traffic work to keep him busy.

"We have an impact in the community and we're appreciated by local residents.Traffic enforcement is my passion. I believe in preventing losses of life, I'll be doing this until I retire," he said.