WITH the new school term right around the corner, Wimmera residents are urged to be wary as school zone road rules come back into play.
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Term three for Wimmera schools starts next week.
Horsham Highway Patrol Senior Constable Shane Dignan urged people to be mindful of more young people making their way to and from school in the morning and afternoons.
“Kids are going back to school so it’s important for people to slow down on the road,” he said.
He said many motorists were often caught unaware during the first week of school term.
“A lot of the people we do detect speeding say, ‘oh is it that time?’,” he said.
He urged people to be aware of children making their way to and from school from next week.
“If you see people out on their bikes and in school uniforms, be aware it is school time and slow down,” he said.
Sen Const Dignan urged motorists to be on high alert around schools, pedestrian crossings and on the road in general.
“Kids can duck across the road when they shouldn’t,” he said.
He urged drivers to monitor their speed and ensure they stuck to the 40 kilometre speed limit where indicated.
Sen Const Dignan said this time of year was particularly high risk due to the increase in foggy mornings during winter.
“Even in the afternoon visibility can be poor this time of year,” he said.
“It’s important to slow down even more.”
Traffic Accident Commission chief executive Janet Dore urged parents to ensure they and their children wore helmets at all times when cycling, including to and from school.
"Studies in recent years show that wearing a helmet is the single most significant factor in reducing the magnitude of head and brain injury in a crash," she said.
She said since bike helmets were made compulsory in Victoria in 1990 deaths and severe brain injures from bike crashes had reduced dramatically.
"To reduce road fatalities by more than half, including cyclists, in the past quarter of a century is a fantastic achievement, especially given the ever growing popularity of cycling," she said.
"Add to that the bike safety education programs rolled out in primary schools across the state and dedicated bike lanes in urban areas and you can see a really positive trend that's emerged in cyclist safety in Victoria.
"The challenge now is to make even greater gains in preventing road trauma and accept that we all have a role to play in achieving our vision of zero deaths and serious injuries."
