Safety concerns prompt more parents to drive kids to school, creating more traffic: CAA survey

A new study suggests more Manitoba parents are driving their children to school because of traffic safety concerns, in turn creating more congestion.

Ahead of back-to-school season, CAA Manitoba has released the results of a spring survey on school zones.

The results draw on the experiences of 516 parents and guardians who had children attending kindergarten to Grade 8 in 2024-2025.

Nine in 10 respondents said they had witnessed “dangerous behaviours” — most commonly, speeding, motorists blocking bus zones and distracted driving — around a school zone.

“The traffic safety concerns that are witnessed around school zones are correlated with, paradoxically, an increase in traffic,” said Ewald Friesen, CAA Manitoba’s manager of government and community relations.

Friesen noted that the number of people driving their children to school has grown in recent years.

CAA’s 2023 poll on school zone safety found 35 per cent of families were commuting to school via car. That figure was 43 per cent in the latest study.

The top three reasons cited for why caregivers drive rather than than opt for an alternative transportation method are: convenience, the distance between home and school and traffic safety concerns.

Pat Burgess plans to pick up her teen grandchildren every day after dismissal at Oak Park High School.

“It sounds ridiculous, but the traffic is really bad at school pickup times,” Burgess said, adding that the absence of sidewalks in the area is a safety concern for her family.

“You’ve got kids on the road. Cars on the road. Buses on the road. Bikes on the road. It’s a time that really requires a lot of caution, but I don’t see any (co-ordinated) plan or awareness to address it.”

More than half of all respondents to the new CAA poll — 62 per cent — consider their local school zone to be “very unsafe.”

Among other findings, there was a slight drop in children using shared transportation models since 2023.

Toronto-based research firm Dig Insights conducted the online survey in May on behalf of CAA. Its margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points.

Friesen said there’s a well-documented “adjustment period” for motorists when classes resume and speed limits near schools drop to 30 km/h.

“School zones are exciting places — especially when we return, when the kids get back to see all their friends and there’s a lot of things happening all at once,” he said.

The CAA spokesman called on school leaders to promote “walk or wheel” travel in September and beyond.

As for motorists, Friesen urged them to put away distractions, make eye contact with pedestrians and stop when they see a school bus with flashing lights.

There is a $673.65 fine, as well as driver’s licence demerit points, for passing a parked bus with a stop arm extended and loading lights on.

Speeding in a school zone leads to a minimum $200 penalty, in addition to dropping two levels on Manitoba Public Insurance’s driver safety rating scale.

Car commuters can also help reduce congestion by parking a block from their school and walking the final stretch, he said.

“Our school safety patrollers are descending on our school zones all across the province, so we’re asking folks to be mindful of the bright green vests,” Friesen added.

Burgess, who has seven school-aged grandchildren, advocated for traffic safety changes at Westdale School in 2023.

Community concerns about drop-off and pickup eventually led to the installation of signage and a designated school zone at the middle school in Charleswood, she said.

While noting every school is unique, the grandmother said she recommends principals ask families for input on improving congestion and reducing risks for students, staff and school visitors.

“You will get a better buy in if people are part of their solution and people know their own neighbourhood,” she said.

City councillors passed a motion last month to conduct a study on the most-ticketed school zones; the matter was referred to the public works subcommittee to be discussed when members meet in September.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca