It was a close call for two high school boys who say they were crossing a crosswalk during their lunch break when a reckless driver missed hitting them by half a meter.

Constable Denis Redikop says the driver who almost hit the two boys was a 17-year-old male from Steinbach.

Redikop indicates that the driver had sped through a school zone, ignored the stop signs, and finally collided with a southbound vehicle at the intersection of Brandt and Lumber at around 1:00 PM Tuesday. From there he was intercepted by police.

“Due to the circumstance, he will be charged with driving carelessly and proceeding before it was safe to do so."

Fines for careless driving are significantly more severe than fines for imprudent driving stresses Redikop. “Imprudent driving is driving in an unsafe manner, like doing donuts in a parking lot, he explains, “however, careless driving is directly endangering the people in the area.”

Redikop notes that the 17-year-old will likely be fined $672 and could receive up to five demerits. The investigation remains ongoing.