Drivers were put under the microscope in three Winnipeg school zones on Wednesday during CAA Manitoba’s fourth annual Back to School Safety Assessment.
The automobile association teamed up with Winnipeg police to monitor driver behaviour in the new speed-reduced school zones over a 90-minute period.
What they say is what you would typically expect — drivers not paying attention, using their cell phones and of course, speeding. One driver was even spotted brushing their teeth.
“Speeding isn’t the only safety concern in the school zones we witnessed today,” said Mike Mager, president and CEO of CAA Manitoba. “This morning we saw motorists ignoring stop lines and road signs, improper drop-offs, dozens of distracted drivers and lots of general unsafe behaviour.”
CAA found 1,531 examples of risky behaviour near Grosvenor School, Mulvey School and Samuel Burland School.
Besides speeding, the most common infractions included:
- Distracted driving — 98 instances
- Failing to stop at a stop line — 346 instances
- Failing to obey road signs — 116 instances
- Changing lanes illegally — 214 instances
- Speeding — 143 instances, about half of motorists going through one of the school zones were speeding
Wise Up Winnipeg says many of the signs warning of reduced speeds in school zones are incorrectly placed and drivers shouldn’t be penalized until the city fixes them.
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