I apologise if the song is now stuck in your head. It has always amazed me how quickly a tune can embed in your mind and operate on replay for several hours.

I am hoping the following message will embed itself in your mind like the aforementioned song.

Of course the lyrics are actually 'school's out for summer.' But my message today is about the return to school. More importantly it is about the safety around school zones.

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For the record, these zones are now back in action and rely on the consideration and vigilance of everyone to ensure that the young people of our community are safe on their way to and from school.

That means every motorist needs to follow the permissible speed limit between 8am and 9.30am and again from 2.30pm to 4pm each weekday. That speed limit is 40km.

But this is not all it means.

If you break the road rules in a school zone you can expect a greater penalty than is applicable in other areas. This includes penalties for such offences as exceeding the speed limit, using phones and ignoring parking regulations.

There is every chance you will get caught with police from the Hume Police District issuing a warning that they will be out in force in school zones.

The rules apply to every single motorist, not just the parents who are dropping off or picking up their children.

They apply to the person who needs to drive through the school zone to get to work, the resident who lives next door to the school and the delivery person dropping off a parcel or two.

There are no exceptions to the rule.

Being a parent at a school does not give you some sort of exemption. It is not okay to park in a drop off zone while you run in to the school office. It is not okay to speed off because you are running late for work.

There are no excuses.

School zones are a hive of activity - especially at the start and finish of the school day. The rules are in place to increase awareness and reduce risk for all.

Surely slowing down, parking correctly, or a few minutes of inconvenience because you have to park further away, is better than a lifetime of heartbreak and regret. This is what you would experience if your actions killed or injured a young person crossing the road to or from school.

Let's hope the message of school zone caution embeds in your mind...and your behaviour...as quickly as that Alice Cooper song.

May this old saying also embed itself in your mind: "The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret."

Stay safe and keep the children of our community safe,

Jackie Meyers

Editor

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