Schools resume classes after summer vacation

The new school session will begin across the country this week after summer vacation.

Classes at the schools in the northern part of the country will resume on Wednesday while in the middle and southern parts on Thursday and Friday.

Meanwhile, the police will monitor traffic more closely than usual near schools during the first weeks of the school year with the view to prevent accidents and ensure a safe trip to school for children, said National Police Board in a press release on Monday.

“Visible surveillance by the police has been proven to calm down traffic and enhance the safety of schoolchildren on their way to and from school, and also improved the sense of security,” said Chief Superintendent of the National Police Board Heikki Kallio.

In the coming weeks, police supervision will mainly focus on speeds and compliance with the rules that apply to pedestrian crossings.

Speeds are monitored especially in the vicinity of schools and also in other high-risk spots in urban areas. Supervision will take place nationwide in the second and third weeks of August.

In addition to speeds, supervision will also focus on the traffic behaviour of cyclists and light electric vehicle drivers, compliance with traffic lights, the use of safety devices and factors causing distraction in traffic.

Attention will also be paid to the safe stopping and parking of vehicles in accordance with the Road Traffic Act in the vicinity of schools and when dropping children off to school and fetching them home.

"The Road Traffic Act requires special caution when approaching children. In practice, this means driving at a sufficiently low speed and being prepared for unexpected behaviour that may even be irregular and against the rules. This calls for special attention now that the youngest schoolchildren, unfamiliar with moving in traffic, will again start to go to and from school. It is worth remembering that children are a living warning sign in traffic, also according to law," Kallio added.