Police in Western Australia are reminding drivers to reduce their speeds after 401 motorists were caught speeding through the same Perth school zone in one day.
WA police reported that 281 of those drivers caught in the Peppermint Grove school zone located near Presbyterian Ladies College (PLC) were identified as doing between 10-19 kilometres an hour over the speed limit, with a handful of motorists clocked at driving between 30-39 kilometres over the limit.
“These motorists total disregard for the school zone endangers not only children, but the wardens working the crossing,” WA Police said in a statement.
The total number of drivers recorded going through the school zone was 1400.
Drivers need to be aware
Acting Traffic Commander Mike Peters told Perth radio that police are asking for a “small sacrifice” from drivers.
“I really want to get the point across the point that school zones only really operate between 7.30 and 9am and 2.30 and 4pm,” Commander Peters says.
“So, we’re asking for a fairly small sacrifice for users to be patient in those zones. It’s a very small period of time but we have the most vulnerable members of our community – kids – trying to cross roads. A lot of them are inexperienced – there’s a lot going on in school zones.”
Lower speeds keep people safer
He says concerns from traffic wardens who help schoolchildren and families negotiate the streets in the school zone prompted the blitz with a portable speed camera – adding that school zone areas were targeted regularly by police committed to keeping people safe on the roads.
Commander Peters admitted he was shocked by the number of drivers ignoring the enforced speed limit in the school zone, despite clear signage advising them of the 40-kilometre limit.
“That is one of the highest levels of speeding I’ve seen,” Commander Peters says.
“I’ve done this for quite some time and those figures are shocking.”
Speeding in school zones is a moral issue
He says that authorities make it “really clear” that “people are moving into an area where we have vulnerable road users moving around”, explaining that the reasons signage warns of the imposed speed restrictions it to help prevent people being injured or killed.
“For people to have a total disregard for that is quite disappointing.”
Commander Peters says he doesn’t know what more police can do.
“There is a moral issue here as well,” he says.
“Anyone of these little kids could walk across the road – and your ability to be able to respond above 40 kilometres an hour? It’s very likely that it’s going to end in some catastrophe.”
