As children head back to school today, the message from police is a simple one:
"Pay attention, look around, don't be distracted while you're driving," says Mark Quiding, a sergeant with the Windsor Police Service.
He reminds drivers to drive safely as school buses and walking children add to the daily traffic. Part of the safety message from police is also aimed at parents.
"We encourage parents to talk with their children, advise them to be aware of their surroundings, go through a safety protocol with their children so they're aware of how to go to school, what routes to take and how to approach the buses in a safe fashion," says Quiding .
Officers will be out in numbers.
"A number of our officers will be out on motorcycles, plain cars, as well as fully marked units to make sure that there's compliance with the road safety rules," says Quiding. "[Officers] will be attending the various school zones within the city of Windsor dealing with parking complaints in conjunction with the City of Windsor parking enforcement as well as the school bus companies; they're aware of our initiative."
Quiding reminds drivers to stop for school buses that have their red flashing lights on and adds overtaking a stopped school bus can cost you a $400 ticket and six demerit points.
Drivers are to stop at least 20 metres back of a stopped school bus.