Insurance Hunter: One-third of parents polled worry their child will be
in a vehicle accident on way to/from school as school zones receive
failing grade from parents
WINDSOR, ON, Oct. 2, 2012 /CNW/ - With school now in full swing, and
families across the province settled back into their busy daily
routines, what should be a simple part of a child's day is one of great
concern for many Ontario parents. InsuranceHunter.ca's School Zone Safety Survey reveals a significant number of Ontario drivers polled are violating
traffic laws and safety violations in school zones, creating dangerous
drop-off and pick-up conditions, and causing many parents to fear for
their child's safety.
The second in a series of vehicle safety awareness campaigns, the InsuranceHunter.ca School Zone Safety Survey is an online study of Ontario and Alberta parents whose children are
between four and 14 years, attend public or private school, and walk or
drive to school. Hosted on the Angus Reid Forum, the survey reveals
more than three-quarters (80%) of respondents have witnessed drivers
violate traffic laws in school zones, and nearly one-third (29%) fear
their child will be involved in a vehicle accident during drop-off or
pick-up at school. Over one-fifth (21%) report having to stop or swerve
to avoid hitting a student when they were walking on or near school
property, and over one-in-ten (13%) indicate that students, parents or
caregivers have been hit or almost hit by a vehicle on or near school
property during school hours.
"Although some school zones across the province receive a failing grade,
there are important safety measures that can be taken to protect
children on their way to and from school," says Gail Robertson, Road
Safety Ambassador, InsuranceHunter.ca. "To ensure designated drop-off/pick-up zones are as safe as possible,
Ontario schools should regularly communicate the rules around vehicle
and pedestrian safety in these zones to both parents and students.
Parents in turn need to obey all traffic laws and school zone safety
procedures, including stopping at cross walks, not talking on cell
phones, slowing down and staying alert."
Many drivers put children at risk by breaking traffic laws and violating
safety procedures in school zones
Of those breaking traffic laws, almost three-quarters (74%) have
witnessed people driving faster than the speed limit; 68% report
drivers talking or texting on a cell phone while driving; 37% report
drivers not stopping at a cross walk; 20% report drivers not stopping
for crossing guards; and 19% report drivers running red lights.
The survey discloses that just over one-third (36%) of parents polled
feel safety procedures are not always followed by drivers in school
zones. In fact, the majority (80%) of respondents report witnessing
someone pull into an area into which they were not supposed to park
when dropping off or picking up their child. Those who admitted to
pulling into an area not designated for student drop-off/pick-up cited
the following reasons: the drop-off/pick-up zone was full (54%); I was
only stopping for a few minutes (47%); and I was in a hurry/running
late (31%).
One-quarter of parents polled indicate their child's school does not
have a designated drop-off/pick-up zone
While parents must do their part to improve school driving conditions,
Ontario schools need to provide parents with the tools they need to
successfully safeguard school drop-off/pick-up zones. The School Safety Survey shows over one-third (38%) of parents polled have never received a
communication from their child's school regarding drop-off/pick-up
safety procedures, and one-quarter (25%) say their school does not have
a designated drop-off/pick-up zone.
Overcrowded school drop-off/pick-up zones receive failing grade from
parents
According to the survey, of the schools that have designated
drop-off/pick-up zones, Ontario parents polled feel they are
overcrowded and can rarely find a spot to pull into. When asked to
describe these zones at their child's school: almost half (43%) defined
it as overcrowded; only one-third (34%) described it as safe; just over
one-third (38%) said it was easy to access; and just one-fifth (20%)
reported it was well-designed. Of those who fear their child will be
involved in a vehicle accident during drop-off/pick-up at school,
almost two-thirds (64%) cited overcrowded drop-off/pick-up zones as the
root of their concern. Other concerns expressed by parents regarding
their child's safety include: drivers in a rush to drop-off/pick-up
their child (75%); distracted drivers (71%); drivers who do not obey
traffic rules (speed limit, cross walks, stop lights) around school
property (65%); drivers on their cell phones who are talking, texting,
and emailing (59%); and children who do not pay attention to traffic or
traffic signals while walking to school (29%).
Two-thirds of parents polled drive children to school-almost half live
less than four blocks away and few carpool
The survey reveals that two-thirds (66%) of respondents' drive their
children to school - which is most likely a factor adding to the
overcrowding of vehicle drop-off/pick-up zones. Of those who are
driven, almost half (44%) live less than 1 km (one to four blocks)
away. Also contributing to this congestion are parents who would also
drive their kids to school when their child has to take something to
school that is too large to carry (90%), when the weather is bad (82%),
when they are running late (69%), or when the child is not feeling well
(69%). A potential solution to reduce the number of cars in
drop-off/pick-up zones is carpooling, however, the majority of
respondents (83%) reveal they rarely or never carpool.
About the InsuranceHunter.ca School Zone Safety Survey
From September 6th to September 13th, the Angus Reid Forum conducted an online survey on behalf of InsuranceHunter.ca among a randomly selected group of 749 Ontario parents/step-parents and
589 Alberta parents/step-parents − all of whom have children in their
household between four and 14 years who attend public or private school
and either walk or are driven to school.
About InsuranceHunter.ca
InsuranceHunter.ca is a hassle-free, online insurance comparison website
which provides comparative quotes for auto, home and travel insurance
for residents of Ontario. By offering a simple, convenient, quick way
to obtain insurance quotes, coupled with personal follow up from a
qualified insurance broker, InsuranceHunter.ca ensures customers get the best insurance coverage at the best rate.
For further information, visit www.InsuranceHunter.ca.
SOURCE Insurance Hunter Services Inc.
PDF available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/media/2012/10/02/20121002_C3244_DOC_EN_18722.pdf
