By Sarah Klein
CAA Manitoba hit the streets Wednesday morning to find distracted and dangerous drivers, and they found plenty of them.
The first annual CAA School Zone Safety Assessment saw 535 examples of drivers performing inadequate behind the wheel in just over an hour.
“School has been back for just over two weeks, and already the bad driving habits have re-emerged,” CAA spokesperson Liz Peters said. “We know that driving too fast for conditions continues to be a problem in school zones. But in just over an hour, we also saw motorists stopping in no-stopping zones, dangerous and illegal manoeuvres around school buses and witnessed dozens of distracted drivers talking, texting and worse behind the wheel.”
Teams were posted near three elementary schools in Tuxedo Park, Hastings and Inkster, and included safety patrol staff, members of the Winnipeg Police Central Traffic unit, parents, teachers and officials with the Manitoba School Boards Association.
Besides speeding, 84 distracted driving infractions were witnessed, including talking on cell phones, drinking, eating, smoking and putting on makeup. One motorist was seen reading a book, and another was spotted shaving.
Other highlights:
- 53 cars stopped past the designated stop line at an intersection in front of one school.
- Six motorists ignored a no-left turn sign (including four school buses) and 22 others stopped in no stopping zones when kids were arriving.
- 101 motorists failed to signal when changing lanes or turning.
