Fine to double to €160 for motorists who fail to stop at school warden sign

Twin sisters, Faye (left) and Eve Quinlan, 9, pupils of St Louis Senior Primary School, Rathmines, Dublin, with school wardens, Twin sisters, Linda and Sharon Ryan at the launch of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and An Garda Síochána Back to School road safety campaign. Picture: Robbie Reynolds

Motorists who fail to stop at a school warden sign will see fines double to €160, as road users are being urged to watch out for children on the roads when the new school year gets underway.

Junior Transport Minister Hildegarde Naughton said she anticipated that the increased fine - from €80 to €160 - will be in place “in the very near future” as part of doubling the fines for key road traffic offences “which are putting road users most at risk on our roads”.

“School wardens are vulnerable road workers,” she said. “Their job is to keep children safe. But to do this they put themselves at risk every time they step onto the road. They work on all sorts of roads from national routes to small local roads and at times of the day that sees the heaviest traffic.” 

Ms Naughton said that school wardens “deserve our respect and a safe working environment”, as she urged people to slow down in the vicinity of schools and to watch out for children and school wardens.

“Most importantly always heed their directions to stop,” she added.

Her announcement came as the Road Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána made a joint call for drivers to take care with hundreds of thousands of pupils returning to school within the next week.

The RSA said that drivers should be aware of a significant increase in school-going traffic in the coming days. Drivers should also expect to see a rise in the number of children using active modes of transport, such as cycling, walking or scooting to school.

To date so far this year a total of 105 people have died on Irish roads, which is 17 more than the same period last year.

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Assistant garda commissioner Paula Hilman said: “With children returning to school over the coming days and weeks, we can expect increased traffic volumes on our roads, especially around schools.

“I would ask that all parents remind children about road safety and take extra care when dropping or collecting children from schools. I would also ask that all road users be extra vigilant when driving near schools and school wardens. We want all our children to return to school safely.” 

The RSA has made “Back to School” packs available for schools, which can be ordered online, that include a high visibility vest for every child starting school, a guide for parents’ on school safety and a road safety promotional pack.

It has also issued recommendations to schools if they intend to hire a bus to bring children for sporting or extracurricular activities.

Sam Waide, RSA chief executive, added: “I also want to remind school principals and staff of our guidelines for improving road safety around schools. The guidelines will aid them in the development and implementation of a road safety action plan to identify and manage risk at the school’s entrance.”