Aug 8, 2024
3 min. read
A new academic year means students—and parents—are rushing to get to the schoolyard before the morning bell rings. But perhaps no lesson is more important than learning to drive cautiously in school zones. It’s every driver’s responsibility to obey traffic laws that help protect everyone, including the 1.4 million-plus elementary and secondary students in Ontario who commute to and from school.
You can help reduce school-zone congestion (and the potential for a collision) by encouraging kids to bike or walk with a buddy, if possible. Make sure they’re familiar with the route by doing a dry run with them if it’s their first time getting to school on their own, and be sure to point out crosswalks and stop signs along the way. If your local school has the CAA School Safety Patrol® program, you may see Patrollers helping to ensure the roadway at the school is clear before kids can cross.
Rain or shine, Patrollers show up to help promote road-safety awareness in their community. Each year, approximately 20,000 student volunteers from some 900 schools in Ontario participate in the CAA School Safety Patrol program. Not only are these young leaders helping other kids get to school safely, they’re also learning about teamwork and the importance of caring for others—lessons that are setting them up to be active contributors to their communities for life.
Visit caaschoolsafetypatrol.com for more information on the program.
Safety in Numbers
Check out these stats from the 2023 CAA School Zone Safety Survey.
82% of parents report having seen unsafe driving behaviours in school zones, especially speeding, double parking and stopping at undesignated areas.
41% of children across the province rely on cars as their main mode of transportation to and from school.
More than 80% of parents surveyed experience traffic congestion around their child’s school.
Visit caasco.com/schoolzonesafety to learn more.
Safe crossing
Look out for more pedestrian crossovers (PXOs), designed to help people cross in busy school zones and residential areas.
Pedestrians: If there’s a button at the PXO, press it before crossing.
Look both ways and make eye contact with drivers to ensure they see you.
Cross only when all vehicles have come to a complete stop.
Drivers: Slow down when approaching PXO signs. Many of these crossovers have ladder-style stripes and yield bars (triangles or “shark teeth”) painted on the road.
Drivers must stop for pedestrians wishing to cross—and remain stopped until pedestrians have cleared the entire roadway. It’s a provincial rule, with fines and demerit points for offenders