Message for back-to-schoolers: Be safe

Police across the province will be out in force today to enforce the 30-km/h speed limit in school zones.

“Parents, be prepared, don’t be in a rush when you get to the school zone,” was the message from Abbotsford police Const. Ian MacDonald. “We will be out there in full force to make sure people adhere to the posted speeds in school zones.”

MacDonald also warned it can be dangerous to just drop kids off in parking lots at schools.

“The last thing you want to see is a kid getting hit in a busy parking lot,” he said. “Get out of the car and take them the extra 10 feet to the school grounds.”

Killarney Driving School owner Himmat Gill said this can be a bad time of year, as a lot of parents driving their kids are careless when it comes to the rules of the road.

“There is a lot of traffic when school opens,” he said. “You have to really watch out.”

Transit police media liaison Anne Drennan said buses and SkyTrains around Metro Vancouver will be packed with students, and advised people to be patient. She reminded transit users to plan ahead and know their route.

“With everybody going back to school, we know the transit system will be very busy,” said Drennan.

With the crowds come thieves who will grab a cellphone or laptop from the unsuspecting, added Drennan.

“If you are sitting, you are in a dangerous spot for someone to grab the cellphone out of your hand,” she said. Transit users who are encountering a problem can text 87-77-77 and pass concerns to Transit police.

Simon Fraser University marketing professor Lindsay Meredith said the back-to-school period is a very profitable time for many school supply retailers.

“There is major, major money in this stuff,” Meredith said.

With more schools allowing the use of personal electronics such as laptops, Meredith said parents feel the financial pinch.

To help offset some of the costs of back to school items, a school supplies drive is being run through the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Tuesday. People with school supply donations can drop them off any time after 5:30 p.m. at the Friendship Centre’s offices at 1607 East Hastings Street in Vancouver.