Getting back to school safely
With students of all ages returning to the classroom, the city would like to remind residents to stay safe and be aware of what’s going on.
Motorists can help keep the 100-plus city crossing guards, as well as students and other pedestrians, safe by being observant of children when in a school area, be ready to stop at any moment, be patient and wait for children to finish crossing the road before proceeding, reducing speed in school zones, stop when a crossing guard holds up a stop paddle, obey school bus flashers and obey all traffic signs and signal controls.
Finally, be wary of any children walking around your vehicle.
The fire department, meanwhile, is advising new and returning post-secondary students to be mindful of fire safety in their new dwellings.
“Post-secondary students moving into rented or shared accommodations need to discuss the importance of fire and life safety with their parents or caregivers,” a news release from the city reads. “Good fire safety practices can help to ensure that this exciting time in a student’s life is not marred by a fire tragedy.”
The fire department advises never leaving cooking food unattended, be careful with candles, make sure smoke alarms are working, smoke outside and have an escape plan.
Finally, the city is reminding post-secondary students living off campus to visit Oshawa.ca/waste to find their schedule for waste collection.
More details can be found at Oshawa.ca, or on the city’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Police blitz
Coinciding with students returning to school, Durham police will be targeting school zones to remind drivers to slow down and pay attention.
Police will be initiating a zero-tolerance blitz on drivers in school and community zones during the first week of school, starting yesterday, Sept. 8 until Friday, Sept. 11.
Last year, a similar initiative resulted in more than 1,200 tickets being issued for various infractions, including 787 speeding tickets, one of which was for going 100 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.