A TOTAL of 28 drivers were stopped for motoring offences outside Nantgaredig School.
Some 24 drivers were pulled over for speeding – including one motorist who was doing 50mph.
A further four were stopped for not wearing a seatbelt.
Children from the school were joined by officers from the council’s road safety unit as well as officers from Dyfed-Powys Police and the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
The offending drivers were given the option of speaking to the pupils to explain why they were speeding instead of receiving penalty points and a fine.
Headteacher Steffan Griffiths said: “On behalf of the school community, I would like to thank everyone involved for including the year six pupils with this important initiative to reduce the speed of vehicles travelling outside Nantgaredig school.
“The pupils couldn’t believe that 24 drivers were stopped for various offences within a couple of hours. Some of the drivers caught have thanked the pupils directly for the manner in which they questioned the offenders.
“The message to drivers in the local area is that the speed limit remains the same all day in Nantgaredig and not just for an hour in the morning and at the end of the school day. I sincerely hope that the drivers caught will change their driving habits for the future.”
Those not wearing their seatbelts attended a hard-hitting 20-minute presentation with MAWWFRS officers on the devastating consequences of not wearing a seatbelt rather than be issued with a fixed penalty.
Eighteen of the drivers chose to face the children and eight received driver warnings (including two that spoke to the pupils).
The council’s Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “It was particularly worrying to hear that one driver was travelling 50mph on a 30mph road and did not slow down when he saw the signs for the school. It is also of concern that some of the drivers stopped were from the local area.
“Hopefully this initiative will make people think about the speed they are travelling, particularly outside schools, and remind them that they must wear a seatbelt, it could save their life one day.
“Having to face the children and answer their questions can be quite a sobering experience for the drivers.”
Police Sergeant Richard Lucas said: “This was a successful operation in that road safety messages delivered to drivers by school children seems to have a big impact on offending drivers and will hopefully stay in people’s minds and alter their driving in the future.
“It was quite shocking to stop 28 drivers for motoring offences outside Nantgaredig School in a short space of time, with the majority of offences being speeding. I urge drivers to adhere to speed limits on their daily journeys or face police action.”
MWWFRS Watch Manager Nigel Jones said: “We work closely with road safety partners such as te council and the police on all road safety campaigns to try and reduce the number of people being killed and seriously injured on our roads.
“It is hard to believe that in current times, people are still reluctant to wear a seatbelt whilst driving in a motor vehicle. In the event of a road traffic collision, seatbelts significantly reduce the risk of death or sustaining severe head and chest injuries and possibly ejection from the vehicle.”
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