On Tuesday, Sept. 6, the 22nd annual Traffic Safety and Awareness Day was held by the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) to encourage safe driving habits.
According to the official website for the event, “the goal of this initiative is to remind drivers about safe driving habits that can help protect the lives of citizens in Niagara.”
The event was made to coincide with the return of students in the region. Senior Officers and police in specialty units travelled to local schools to hand out tickets for driving offences, such as speeding, with increased penalties.
While the fines within Community Safety Zones were increased and speeding fines were doubled, the NRPS made special mention on their website that only penalties had changed, not the rules of the road. The NRPS was on the lookout for actions such as seatbelt infractions and not stopping at stop signs.
Drivers were given tips by the NRPS to reduce the number of offences on the road, such as keeping their phones out of sight while driving. In an interview with 101.1 More FM, Constable Barry Ravenek stated that, “[The NRPS knows] kids are going to be excited, and they may not necessarily be watching out for traffic.”
According to the NRPS’s statistics, a total of 97 tickets and warnings were issued on this year’s Traffic Safety and Awareness Day, with 29 being for speeding.
For more information on the NRPS and events that they have planned in the future, follow @NiagRegPolice on Twitter.