School zones begin Tuesday across Lower Mainland

Metro Vancouver police are reminding drivers that “School Zones” begin again Tuesday, marking the end of summer break.

Generally, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. speed limits are reduced around schools to 30 km/h, Monday to Friday. However, some jurisdictions around B.C. have changed their enforcement times, with certain communities making school zones a 24-hour thing.

#BC Watch forStudents, Bikes & School Buses as they return to schools tomorrow.

School Zone Speed: 30 KM/H – 8 AM to 5 PM, except for #BurnabyBC: School Zone Speed is from 7 AM to 10 PM, & #Vancouver City’s is in effect 24 hours per day. https://t.co/9cNX5RzdDR #BackToSchool22 pic.twitter.com/dhmuEldL1G

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) September 5, 2022

According to ICBC, every year in the province, five children are killed and 370 are injured in crashes while walking or cycling.

In school and playground zones, 66 children are injured in crashes every year.

Various policing agencies have been out with their safety reminders ahead of the return to school.

The Vancouver Police Department says the safety of children is their number one priority, adding “we hope it’s yours, too.”

It’s back to school time, here are some things to keep in mind. #backtoschool #safety pic.twitter.com/ZD1nc10bwd

— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) September 4, 2022

“We know the first week of school can be stressful with arranging schedules etc., but taking the time to slow down is for the safety of our children,” Delta Police Department shared on its Twitter account.

Sound on This little guy has a very important reminder for Tuesday! This message is for everyone – parents, teachers, and drivers going from point a to point b. How was your summer vacation?! Comment below. pic.twitter.com/bNFmH96vNT

— Delta Police Department (@deltapolice) September 2, 2022

To help with back-to-school, Delta firefighters are also sharing some reminders for drivers, including being aware of cyclists on roads, paying attention to bus stops and flashing lights, and looking out for children crossing at crosswalks.

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Fines for drivers caught speeding in school or playground zones range between $196 and $253, according to ICBC.

Playground zones are in effect from dawn to dusk, all year round, and also reduce speed to 30 km/h.

Other back-to-school safety reminders

Meanwhile, drivers aren’t the only ones being reminded to take precautions to protect children’s safety.

Families are being warned against sharing too much personal information about their kids on social media.

It’s not the photos of the first day back for kids — it’s what’s going along with them if they are posted publicly online.

You may have seen them yourself: signs, some like little blackboards, which leave space for a child’s name, their grade, their teacher, their school name, and even their grad year.

The VPD’s Cst. Tania Visintin suggests that’s too much, adding people who prey on children could possibly use that information.

“It’s just second nature to post, right? Everybody wants to post about their life, or they have family overseas so they want to post everything so family can see and I think we forget sometimes, we might become complacent as adults, we think it’s safe. And I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but sometimes we need to really pay attention to what we’re doing and just always think hard before we post,” she explained.

“We always say, pictures are great but anything personal, like where your kid goes to school, what grade they’re in, that might be pushing the boundaries a bit with revealing too much information.”

-With files from Raynaldo Suarez and Martin MacMahon