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Drivers reminded to pay attention as another new school year begins

The province is reminding Alberta drivers to take extra care and attention as school has begun

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The province is reminding Alberta drivers to take extra care and attention as school has begun and children are once again active in school zones, playgrounds and neighbourhoods.

Between 2008 and 2012, approximately 240 children under 15 were killed or injured while riding their bicycle or simply crossing the street on average each year.

“The death of any child is tragic, especially when it is preventable. Everybody has a role to play in keeping our children safe,” said Wayne Drysdale, Alberta Minister of Transportation

Drivers play a large role in back to school safety. Be alert and use extra caution in school zones, near school buses and near playgrounds. Likewise, students need to be aware of traffic safety rules as pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboarders and school bus passengers.

Back to school facts

● Twice a day, every day during the school year, more than 6,000 school buses in Alberta safely transport 300,000 children to and from school.

● School buses in Alberta travel an estimated 450,000 kilometres a day — that’s more than 10 times around the earth.

● Approximately 70 per cent of casualty collisions and more than 90 per cent of property damage collisions involving a school bus occurred in urban areas.

● About 50 per cent of the other drivers involved in collisions with school buses committed a driver error. The most common driver error committed by other drivers was following too closely.

● A number of municipalities around the province, including Edmonton and Calgary, are re-instituting school zones this fall and speed limits near schools will drop to 30 km/h.