(School zone image via Shutterstock)
Back to school means CAA Manitoba is back at it ensuring drivers know how to act while driving through school zones.
The automobile association teamed up once again with Winnipeg police on Wednesday for their sixth annual Back to School Safety Assessment.
Observation teams monitored drivers looking for any distracted or risky behaviour behind the wheel in three Winnipeg school zones during the morning rush hour. Teams recorded 548 instances of risky driving behaviour around St. Ignatius School, Whyte Ridge Elementary and Faraday School.
“This assessment is a snapshot of what road behavior looks like in school zones throughout the day,” said Mike Mager, president and CEO of CAA Manitoba.
“I’d like to say drivers get an A for effort, but unfortunately I can’t. We continue to see too many motorists speed through school zones or drive dangerously, putting our children and families at risk.”
One driver was caught going 65 km/h in a 30 km/h zone — just one of 76 motorists caught speeding by the WPS traffic unit.
Notable finds:
- 37 instances of distracted driving
- 87 drivers failing to stop at a crosswalk or stop sign
- 41 occurrences of using a driveway to drop off and turn around
- Driver holding a dog in their lap while driving
- Someone distracted cycling — biking and texting at the same time
- Woman smoking with a young child in a car seat, which is against the law
- A Winnipeg Transit Bus going over 40 km/hr in a 30 km/hr school zone
- A teenager walking across the intersection with headphones in, unaware of an ambulance with sirens coming straight toward them
- Two drivers crossed the yellow line to pass cars in the left lane on Mountain Ave., just before the traffic lights, putting pedestrians and drivers at risk of injury and accident
