A Kelowna parent is speaking out after witnessing what she calls dangerous driving behavior in school zones, a problem RCMP say continues despite increased enforcement.
Melissa Lane says speeding drivers are a daily problem when she picks up her children from school.
“I come here every day at 2 p.m. to pick up my son, and there were people doing 50 mph in this school zone,” Lane said.
As a mother of two, Lane worries it's only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt.
Her fears were heightened by a dangerous incident she witnessed earlier this week.
“We were coming out of Ziprick yesterday and two girls were crossing the four-way stop there and one car swerved and almost hit the two girls,” she said.
Kelowna RCMP say speeding in school zones remains an ongoing problem.
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Cpl. Allison Consomo says more than 150 speeding tickets were issued in school zones alone, not counting other traffic agencies throughout the city.
“She’s definitely tall,” Consomo said. “We shouldn’t be writing so many tickets because it’s just speeding.”
In response, the RCMP increased patrols near schools.
“We have a speed enforcement program, they've been run 18 times this year,” Consomo said. “They have recorded over 7,500 vehicles and even as we speak we have officers monitoring.”
However, Lane believes more needs to be done, pointing to the vulnerability of children near busy roads.
“It seems like until a child is seriously injured, they won't be treated the way they should be treated,” she said. “I'd like to see more monitoring until people understand it. I really think speed bumps could help.”
Police share concerns about how unpredictable children can be on the road.
“Kids are so unpredictable,” Consomo said. “They don't always know the rules of the road. They like to jump between them, and if you exceed the limit by even 20 kilometers, your stopping time will double compared to when you are driving at 30 kilometers per hour.”
In the meantime, Lane said she's focused on teaching her children about road safety and encourages other parents to do the same.
“I always told them that if they’re anywhere near the road, they need to make eye contact with the driver,” Lane said. “That way the driver knows they can see them and my kids know the driver is pulled over.”
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