Back-to-school road safety: what to remember this September

It’s the first day of school and your neighbourhood is buzzing with activity.

Outside the local school, a line of cars stretches along the curb as parents and caregivers drop off excited students. Drivers search for parking, cyclists and commuters navigate growing congestion and school buses arrive one after another, unloading dozens of children into an already busy schoolyard.

On the sidewalks, families stream toward the entrance while at nearby crosswalks crossing guards step into intersections to safely guide waves of pedestrians across the street.

From the road to the sidewalks and schoolyard, hundreds of people move through these shared spaces, transforming school zones into some of the busiest places in the city.

The first few weeks of September can be especially busy as students, parents and caregivers adjust to new routines. With so many people sharing the road at the same time, staying alert and following the rules of the road can help prevent collisions and keep everyone safe.

A school zone is a section of roadway where reduced speed limits are in effect near a school from 7 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday, September to June. School zones are clearly marked with yellow signs to alert road users that extra caution is required. 

During school arrival and dismissal times, these areas can become especially busy as pedestrians, school buses, drivers and cyclists all share the same space, making it even more important for everyone to slow down, stay alert and exercise extra caution.

Here are a few important rules to follow when traveling through school zones:

• Obey the posted speed limit. Many school zones have reduced speed limits of 30 to 40 km/h during posted times.
• Avoid distractions. Put phones and other devices away while driving, cycling or crossing the street.
• Be alert for pedestrians and children. Young children may act unpredictably near the roadway and may be less experienced at navigating traffic.
• Slow down and prepare to stop when approaching school crossings and crossovers.
• Stop for crossing guards. When a crossing guard displays a STOP sign, all drivers and cyclists must stop and wait until the crossing guard and all pedestrians have safely reached the sidewalk.
• Stop and yield the full roadway at pedestrian crossovers. Drivers and cyclists must wait until pedestrians have completely crossed the roadway before proceeding.
• Obey all posted no stopping, no parking and school bus loading zone signs.

Back to school is a great time to practice road safety with kids. 

One of the best ways to do this is to walk to school together. Along the way, talk about the safest places to cross the street, how to use crosswalks, what traffic signs and signals mean and why it's important to be careful near roads. These conversations can help children build safe habits and feel more confident travelling to and from school.

Another idea is to create a road safety checklist together. Here are a few suggestions to help get you started:

• Stop and look both left and right before crossing the street.
• Cross only at crosswalks or with the help of a crossing guard.
• Make eye contact with drivers before you cross the street.
• Walk—don't run—when crossing the street.
• Stay on the sidewalk and away from the curb until it's safe to cross.

Children count on all of us to help keep them safe. By slowing down and staying alert, we can help them get to and from school safely.

The City of Ottawa continues to make improvements to the safety of our roads and pathways with an emphasis on protecting vulnerable users – pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. The City’s Road Safety Action Plan guides these engineering, education and enforcement initiatives. But even the safest transportation network requires that everyone follows the rules of the road for their mode of transportation.