DRIVERS are being warned to stop at school crossings before someone is killed.
Warwickshire County Council say a minority of drivers are putting lives at risk by swerving around school crossing patrols – also known as ‘lollipop people’ – instead of stopping as they should.
Late last year The Observer reported a near missing at a crossing in Whitnash since when the council has received reports of several accidents and near misses in Warwickshire in recent months.
Lollipop people help children cross the road safely on the way to and from school. It is illegal not to stop when a crossing patrol raises their stop sign – even if they have not completely stepped out into the road.
Drivers could face fines of up to £1,000 and three penalty points if they refuse to stop.
Coun Phillip Johnson, spokesman for community safety, said: “There are many ways we can make sure our children can walk and cycle safely to school and simply by taking advantage of our dedicated school crossing patrols is just one of them.
“We are very thankful to the majority of drivers who do stop when requested, but there are still numerous amounts of drivers who seem to think it is acceptable to speed up when approaching a crossing.
“We will not tolerate any incidents of aggression and intimidation on the roads, especially when the crossing patrol is simply trying to do their job.”
