TISDALE — Local RCMP have caught 17 drivers not properly stopping at an intersection frequented heavily by children.
The Tisdale RCMP saw 25 traffic violations from Aug. 15 to 30, with 17 of them being given out on Aug. 24 on the intersection at Rae’s Action Sports Park near the high school.
“Not all of them resulted in charges, there were some warnings handed out with that as well. That’s kind of an education piece, I guess,” said Sgt. Daryl Andrusiak of the Tisdale RCMP. “Obey the stop signs. A stop sign means stop, it doesn’t mean slow down. Just be cognizant of all signs: yields, stop, speed.”
Failure to obey a stop sign can be a fine of $230.
“In this case I know we did have a problem intersection. This one relates specifically to the stop sign,” Andrusiak said. “This specific intersection was enforced that day.”
If officers believe an intersection is problematic, they will choose on any given day to enforce that intersection or problem area. It doesn’t mean they are having more drivers break the law, it just means the drivers are getting caught.
“The members decide on any given day to sit and enforce that intersection or problem area, the numbers will obviously go up,” Andrusiak said.
While Andrusiak wasn’t the officer to bring this area up, he believes it was brought up due to the increased foot traffic due to the skate park.
“That’s just it, it’s important that people obey the traffic laws because it’s one thing to roll through a stop sign, but then it’s another thing to roll through, not pay attention and hit some other vehicle or another person, and then a $230 fine is the least of your worries.”
According to Andrusiak, school coming back adds importance to make sure the officers are educating the public about the importance of obeying these rules.
“With school coming back in I think it’s important that the members are out there educating and reminding people to drive with care and obey all traffic signals and laws,” Andrusiak said.
