Brimbank and Melton highway patrol is calling on drivers to slow down around school zones as the new school year starts.
Brimbank divisional road policing adviser Ross Burbidge said motorists would need to comply with 40km/h school zone speed limits during school drop-off and pick-up times from this Wednesday, when schools across Brimbank and Melton start to reopen for term one.
Senior Sergeant Burbidge said Brimbank and Melton highway patrol officers would patrol school zones across both cities and fine those not adhering to speed and parking restrictions.
“Children are smaller than adults and harder for drivers to spot in traffic and parked vehicles,” Senior Sergeant Burbidge said.
“Younger children sometimes act unpredictably near traffic.
“Parking restrictions around schools are there to keep children safe and to give all drivers picking up and dropping off children a safer environment.”
VicRoads introduced 40km/h speed limits during school pick-up and drop-off times in 2003 in a bid to avoid crashes and reduce their severity.
According to the Monash University Accident Research Centre, an 11 per cent reduction in speed cuts the chance of road deaths by 40 per cent.
