The warning comes after a 12-year-old boy was taken to hospital in a serious condition after he was hit by a car at the intersection of Severn St (State Highway 1) and Lune St in Oamaru last Wednesday.
Southern district road policing manager Inspector James Ure, of Dunedin, said the speed limit was 20kmh near school buses and the public could expect officers to be enforcing it strictly when pupils start the school year today.
"We don’t feel there’s really any need or valid excuse to be speeding past a school," Insp Ure said.
Children were highly likely to walk out into roads, and buses made for large obstacles which were hard to see through.
At busy times near schools it was common for there to be high amounts of traffic picking up and dropping off passengers, along with children on foot.
Some children would be attending or walking to school for the first time.
Especially in rural areas, corners could mean little chance to slow down before a crash, Insp Ure said.
Nobody wanted any near misses, and the worst-case scenario was a fatality, which was "every parent’s nightmare", he said.
Drivers were being asked to take particular care between 8am and 9am, and between about 3pm and 4pm.
Police would be patrolling to ensure drivers were obeying the posted speed limits and other road rules.
Insp Ure also urged drivers to avoid looking at cellphones while they were behind the wheel, along with any other distractions.
"Children can step out suddenly — a moment looking down off the road could result in a tragedy," Insp Ure said.
