Check your speed and driving habits because Niagara Region police officers are out this week in a pre-school year push to protect students and tamp down bad driving in West Niagara communities.
In addition, NPRS issued a bulletin today to advise about stepping up back to school police activity on Tuesday across the region. The increased activity on back-to-school day is an annual enforcement focus that spans back 20 years.
“On Tuesday September 8th 2020, members of the Niagara Regional Police Service will be out across the Niagara Region in school zones in order to remind drivers and pedestrians of student’s return to school,” the service said.
Officers that are not normally on traffic duty will be assigned for the day to increase police presence in school zones. They will be checking posted speed limits, child restraint systems, school bus safety, and looking for aggressive driving and distracted driving behavior.
“Beginning at 8:00 a.m., officers ranging from the Chief of Police to divisional detectives will also be reassigned from their daily duties in order to participate in this important initiative, now in its 20th year,” said NRPS’s advisory.
8 District conducting Grimsby and Beamsville speed enforcement
8 District NRPS officers, who work out of Grimsby, have already stepped up their game. Since Aug. 30, the unit has been posting tweets to advise that officers are watching areas in Grimsby and Beamsville.
“Officers were out on King St in the @TownofLincolnON last night and early this morning conducting speed enforcement and listening for vehicles with modified mufflers,” said a tweet issued by @8DistrictNRPS Friday morning.
Police say is part of 8 District’s ongoing speed enforcement program addressing public concerns with respect to speeding within the towns of Lincoln and Grimsby.
With regard to the mufflers, a 2007 amendment called the: Highway Traffic Amendment Act (Muffler Noise), 2007 prohibits loud mufflers on vehicles, either due to lack of maintenance or through purposeful modification.
“It is an offense to have an improper or no muffler. This offense has a fine of $85 plus surcharge for a total fine of $110,” said Stephanie Sabourin, NRPS spokesperson.
Three provincial offense notices have been issued this month so far around the muffler law.
Earlier in the week, the account advised of traffic officers monitoring the intersection of Roberts Rd. and Livingston Rd. in Grimsby.
Officers also were monitoring speed in front of Senator Gibson School in Beamsville.
School bus video surveillance
The Niagara police’s Traffic Enforcement Unit will also be working with Niagara Student Transportation Services which operates school buses in Niagara to investigate motorists that do not stop for a school bus or ignore a stop arm signal on a bus. A stop arm is a stop sign that is extended by a driver to halt traffic when a bus is loading or unloading passengers. Video surveillance footage of traffic around a bus, captured on video, is being turned over to police.