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Braking distance is why school zone speeds are low: RCMP

Summer is coming to a close this weekend, which means school zones will be enforced as students make their way back to the classroom on Tuesday.

Prince George RCMP will be monitoring in some areas in the designated hours of 8AM to 5PM after this long weekend.

Braking distance is one of many reasons why the speed limit is so low, according to Sergeant Matt LaBelle.

“Faster cars need more distance to stop in an emergency; at 60km per hour, a vehicle takes about 55 metres to come to a complete stop. But, if you’re only traveling 30 km per hour, it only takes 18 metres to come to a complete stop.”

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He says as the limit decreases and drivers slow down, pedestrian survival rates will move up.

“If a pedestrian is struck by a vehicle that’s traveling up to 50km per hour, there’s only a 20% chance they would survive that collision. If a pedestrian is struck by a vehicle is only traveling 30km per hour, that survival rate increases exponentially up to 90%.”

If you see a traffic violation in a school zone, you’re asked to contact the local detachment at (250) 561-3300.

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