Parents get C- for safe driving in school zones: BCAA

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Parents aren’t quite getting a failing grade – but it’s close. BCAA’s annual survey about driving in school zones during the first week of school is giving parents a C-minus grade.

This year the survey, which looks at school employees and parents who drop off and pick up kids at elementary schools across British Columbia, found persistent bad driving in school zones.

The BCAA’s Shawn Pettipas says the survey gives parents an F for illegal parking, an F for unsafe drop offs and pick ups, and a D grade for speeding in school zones.

“Speeding through school zones – that’s always a dangerous one. People just rushing to get through, and some selfish driving behaviours like blocking traffic or not letting others go, or not apologizing for obvious mistakes,” he says.

There were some improvements over last year’s results. While 39 per cent of the survey respondents said they still saw parents using cell phones at the wheel, 23 per cent reported it was better than what they witnessed last year. Aggressive driving, including using profanity and the horn in school zones, was down as well.

BCAA says the annual survey, which asks principals, parents, teachers and staff about what they see on the roads around their schools, is not about shaming parents but about raising awareness of what’s happening in school zones.

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