The majority of students in the Quad Counties head back to school Thursday.
RCMP say parents and all members of the community are responsible for the safety of the students going to and from school.
Cst. Morgan MacPherson, the Antigonish detachment’s community policing officer, says many students heading back will be excited and may not be paying full attention.
He says parents play a huge role, re-enforcing cross walk safety, or reminding their kids to stay safe on the bus.
MacPherson tells The Hawk parents should tell their kids to listen to their bus driver.
“Bus drivers have a very important job- they’re transporting (the students) to school, and it’s a lot of responsibility,” he says. “If the bus drivers ask everyone to settle down or sit down in assigned seating or keep the noise down, the kids should be following those directions, because it’s for everyone’s safety.”
MacPherson says motorists need to pay attention to the busses as well, and keep an eye on their speed in school zones.
“In a rural setting, the (speed limit) in a school zone would be 50 km/h,” he says. “In an urban setting or town setting, it would be 30 km/h.”
MacPherson says it’s important to keep your speed in mind, not only for the safety factor, but also for the huge fines associated with breaking those limits.