It’s going to be a challenging back-to-school season. Here’s why and how you can do your part.

Habits have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. With the start of the new school year around the corner and the many changes imposed by health regulations, the number of cars driving near schools will skyrocket. We always deplore this dangerous situation and hope nothing unfortunate happens, but let’s really try to avoid disaster this year. Let’s be extra cautious and remember some basic safety rules around schools.

Much more back-and-forth traffic is expected around schools and in school zones while school bus transportation is disrupted by health measures. The number of children allowed on a school bus has dropped from 72 to 48, which will inevitably increase the number of parents who drive their kids to school and the number of kids who will skip, walk, or ride their bikes to meet their friends in the schoolyard.

The five golden rules of road safety around schools

• Follow the rules of the road. Use your turn signals, buckle your seatbelt, and make sure car seats are securely fastened. Beyond the basic rules, you can also park a little further away, in a safe place, and walk the last few metres. Always let your child out on the curbside.
• Take your time to do things properly. Leave home a few minutes earlier than planned to give yourself plenty of time to deal with the unexpected. No way can you go faster to make up for a minor delay—speed limits are generally 30 km/h in school zones and must not exceed 50 km/h. Since August 2019, fines for speeding in school zones are also doubled during the school year.
• Obey traffic signs and signals. School zones are high-risk areas and have signs posted around them to indicate school crosswalks, speed limits on school days, and advanced bus stop warnings. Drop-off areas are also clearly marked. When dropping off your child in the car, you have no reason to plead ignorance of the safety rules.
• Mind the safety patrol. Section 311 of the Highway Safety Code is clear: everyone must obey the orders of the safety patrol as they would a peace officer directing traffic, even if contrary to existing traffic signs or signals.
• Stop when a school bus stops. Bus drivers will first signal their intention to stop with amber or hazard warning lights. This will be followed by flashing red lights and activation of the stop sign. At this stage, stop five metres from the bus, otherwise you’re liable to a fine of $200 to $300 and nine demerit points on your file for a motorist or a fine of $80 to $100 for a cyclist. The only situation where you can keep going is when the bus is in the opposite lane of a roadway separated by a median. You can continue when the lights are off and the stop sign is no longer out. Make sure the coast is clear and there are no more children.

A few tips to follow at all times

• Keep your eyes on the road. Leave your cellphone in your pocket or securely fastened to the dashboard. Don’t try to change radio stations in a school zone. Keep both hands on the wheel rather than wolfing down a breakfast sandwich during a conference call. In the car, the driver must drive and avoid all distractions as far as possible for the safety of their passengers and other road users.
• Make eye contact with children before starting a manoeuvre. Children act quite unpredictably at times, making eye contact necessary before beginning any manoeuvre.
• Take your foot off the gas. We can’t say it often enough: speeding is unfortunately the number one unsafe driving behaviour. In the event of a collision, the probability of death increases from 10% when a vehicle is travelling at 30 km/h to 75% when it’s travelling at 50 km/h. Don’t even think about going 70 km/h—the probability of death is close to 100% (source: SAAQ). Please slow down, especially in school zones and around schools.
• Caution, caution, caution. Think you’re cautious? Be even more cautious. As the saying goes, you can never be too careful. Take one more look both ways before you leave. Take an extra second at a mandatory stop. Respect crosswalks. Taking a few extra seconds to make sure the coast is clear can mean the difference between continuing safely and a tragic accident.
• Advise, guide, and empower your children. Start instilling positive behaviours in your children early on, especially when they start going to school on their own. Walk the route with them at the beginning and explain, for example, the different road signs. Teach them to cross only at intersections and to look both ways before doing so. By adopting good habits at an early age, your children will be more responsible and give us all hope for a better road safety record.

Let’s work together to make this back-to-school season a safe one for our children. Let’s follow the basic rules in school zones and near schools. Let’s listen to the safety patrol. And let’s all sing: The wheels on the bus go round and round!