Traffic police targets school zones to protect young students

It has been a tragic start to 2025 on our roads and police will be out in force this week to protect our most vulnerable road users as they toddle off for their first day of school.

Darling Downs Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant Kim Hill with Middle Ridge State School students Lillian and Harvey Willis.

Thousands of children across Toowoomba and the Darling Downs are back in class this week, heralding the return of congested and stressful school zones.

Despite the added pressure, police are calling on motorists to drive with compassion and care to avoid causing serious crashes and risking the lives of young students.

“We know roads get very busy during peak times, before and after school and on weekends, so we want to be sure that everyone drives with patience, observes the road rules because road safety is everyone’s responsibility,” Darling Downs Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant Kim Hill said.

“We want to ensure that our most vulnerable road users, our young children and their families are safe.”

From January 28 40km/h speed limits will take effect in school zones and police will conduct extra patrols to ensure drivers are doing the right thing.

“Children are unpredictable, so they could dash out onto the road at any time,” Senior Sergeant Hill said.

“It’s also about respecting our crossing supervisors who have a really important job about keeping everyone safe around our schools so they can cross the road safely.”

The warning comes at the close of the Queensland Police Service’s summer holiday road safety operation.

Darling Downs crews were out in force, charging seven people with high-range drink driving, 118 people with drug driving, 11 people with dangerous operation of a vehicle and 13 people with unlicensed and/or disqualified driving.

They also issued 1182 infringement notices.

Sadly, the operation was scarred by several fatal crashes, including Joe Saad who died on January 24 from injuries he suffered in a hit and run on New Year’s Eve, and Alan Manteit, 44, who died after he collided with a vehicle on Long Street on January 22.

“At the moment we’re sitting at 23 lives lost in Queensland, and three in the Darling Downs,” Senior Sergeant Hill said.

“That is too many.

“The human body was not made to withstand the impact of crashes, we need to slow down and respect each other on the road and respect our vehicles.

“They are not a force field around us that protects us from injury.”

Originally published as Traffic police targets school zones to protect young students