Clampdown on speeding outside schools nets drivers

About 20 motorists have been caught in one of the first waves of a national police campaign to combat speeding outside school gates.

The motorists in Rotorua were clocked travelling more than 55km/h within 250m of schools in the city.

Hundreds of drivers have run foul of the national "Speed Kills Kids" campaign launched at the start of the school year last Tuesday.

Police, working out of marked and unmarked vehicles, have been ordered to issue tickets to anyone exceeding the speed limit near schools by more than 5km/h from 7.30am to 9am and 3pm to 4.30pm on school days.

The campaign follows concern about 34 school-aged pedestrians and cyclists killed and 2055 injured at those times nationally in the five years to the end of December.

Senior Sergeant Ed van den Broek of the Rotorua police Strategic Traffic Unit said the campaign's first week revealed most motorists were driving carefully.

Congestion around schools on narrow roads meant motorists had little choice but to drive slow. However, some wider roads in the area meant careless drivers had the ability to travel at considerable speeds above the limit.

Mr van den Broek said while police were ticketing people at 55km/h, he warned it should not give them the freedom to exceed the normal limit.

Parents are reminded to park their cars legally when dropping children off at school and not to double park or park in no- parking areas. Motorists should also stick to the 20km/h speed limit when driving past school buses which had stopped.

- DAILY POST (ROTORUA)