P.A. Police and RCMP are working together to promote driving safety as part of the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (Michael Joel-Hansen/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

Traffic Safety

Police and others team up to promote road safety

Aug 22, 2019 | 5:44 PM

The Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) is in Prince Albert.

The initiative brings together police officers from a number of police services along with those working in public safety education. On Thursday they were set up at checkpoints around the city where vehicles were pulled off the road for infractions and inspections.

Sgt. Terry Epp with P.A. Police said checkpoints were set up at four different locations around the city with the hopes of achieving an overarching objective.

“We get together from all parts of the province and enforce and educate people on traffic safety,” he said.

P.A. Police officers were joined by members of P.A. RCMP and officers from Regina and Swift Current.

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Epp explained during the blitz officers will do everything from issuing fines and warnings to safety education. When it comes to specific infractions, Epp said officers were focused on everything from distracted and impaired driving to people driving without licences.

“The goal here is to keep everybody safe,” he said.

Looking at P.A. specifically, Epp said officers are keeping an especially close eye on drivers who are using cellphones.

“It’s always an ongoing issue,” he said.

Safety regarding children was also a major priority as many of the vehicles being stopped were those transporting young kids in car or booster seats.

Travis Holeha, child traffic safety program coordinator with the Saskatchewan Prevention Institute, was performing inspections for drivers to make sure their seats were installed properly and safe. Besides inspections, those who were found to have improper seats were offered replacements.

Holeha said there are common mistakes people make when it comes to children’s seats.

“One of the biggest things is that children are sometime in improper seats, so they’re moving out of a rear facing too early or going from from a forward facing to a booster too early,” he said.

Along with improper seating, Holeha added sometimes harnesses are too loose. Another issue which Holeha said people needed to be aware of is expiration dates on children’s seats. Generally, seats have a 10 to 12-year expiration date which are put on them by the manufacturer.

Holeha added that in Saskatchewan people need to be aware of how the weather conditions may help break down their seats over time.

“Plastic degrades over time and especially in a climate like ours, where it can be 40 Celsius inside of a vehicle in the summer and minus 40 C in the winter,” he said.

Having the chance to get out and work with police on an initiative like this is important for Holeha and the prevention institute as it gives them the chance to reach a whole new group of people.

“We’re helping people that we never see come to us, to a car seat clinic,” he said.

Police and safety workers will continue their work Friday.

Travis Holeha talking to a driver about their child seats (Michael Joel-Hansen/paNOW Staff)

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn