Over the next few days, hundreds of thousands of students across the province will be heading back to their schools. The presence of school buses, pedestrians, cyclists and crossing guards will inevitably increase traffic on the road network.

In the interests of prevention, from August 26 to September 6, Sûreté du Québec police officers will be stepping up their operations in the vicinity of schools. Road users are urged to exercise extra caution to ensure a safe start to the new school year for all.

Road safety: what are the rules?

► Respect posted speed limits. In a school zone, the fine is doubled if the offence is committed during school time. The latter is indicated by road signs or, in the absence of such signs, starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m., every day from Monday to Friday during the months of September to June.

► Road users, including cyclists, are required to stop more than five meters away when approaching a bus or minibus whose intermittent red lights are on or whose mandatory stop signal is deployed.

► When traffic is directed by a peace officer, school crossing guard or flagman in charge of directing traffic during work, all persons must, despite signage to the contrary, obey their orders and signals.

► Drivers are obliged to stop when approaching a crosswalk when a pedestrian has entered the yellow or white stripes or has clearly indicated his intention to do so.

We also remind you of the importance of respecting signage around schools, particularly bus zones, no-parking zones and drop-off zones. Many parents drop off their children at school, and they must make sure they do so in a safe place to avoid careless maneuvers such as double parking and U-turns.

For more information on the various regulations, please consult the Société de l'Assurance Automobile du Québec (SAAQ) website.