SGI cautions motorists to be alert in school zones

With students heading back to school this week, Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) is reminding motorists to be more attentive on the streets.

"Police across the province are going to be on the lookout for drivers not driving safely in school zones," SGI media relations managerTyler McMurchysaid.

He addedthatSeptember marks SGI's traffic safety spotlight on school zones.

• Saskatoon's new public-private partnership-funded schools ready for 1st students
• New schools in Saskatoon's Hampton Village, Stonebridge will restrict student enrolment

McMurchy said they chose this spotlight during the start of the school year becausechildren don't always pay attention to safe traffic behaviour.

"They may dart out into traffic, unexpectedly jaywalk they're excited to get back to school and see their friends," he said.

He said in 2016there were 28 collisions,nineinjuriesandnearly 25,000 convictions for speeding in school zones levied to Saskatchewan motorists.

And although those statistics aren't too drastic for the province, he saidthis year, SGI is working to reduce that number.

"What we're asking motorists is to take a little bit of extra caution when they're travelling through a school zone," McMurchy said.

"Basically just slow down and realize that school zones are busy places with a lot of smaller, harder-to-see people, so pay attention to that and make sure that everybody gets to school safely."

Fines for speeding in a school zone startat $140.