Speedy teen loses licence

A 17-year-old Yorkton male will be taking the bus or walking following an appearance in Yorkton court last week.

The teen lost his licence for six months and was fined $500 for racing through a school zone at 105 km/h October 8.

While this and another case October 9 in which another teen was clocked at 89 km/h in the same school zone are extreme, school zone speeding, in general, is a big problem in the province according to SGI. During the provincial insurer's monthly two-day traffic blitz in September police across the province handed out 352 speeding tickets, a result a media release described as "shocking."

In Saskatchewan last year, 30 school zone collisions resulted in 11 injuries.

Sgt. Rob Laurent, formerly Operations NCO of the Yorkton municipal detachment, said despite these aberrations, Yorkton drivers are pretty respectful of school zones. During ten patrols a week, Yorkton members generally hand out two or three tickets.

Andrew Cartmell, SGI president and CEO has a simple message for motorists: "Slow down in school zones. Not only is it the law, but reducing your speed gives you more time to react to hazards on the road, like a child darting out in front of you. Stay alert and drive with care, because you don't need the injury of a child on your conscience."