Have you driven through a school zone and felt your heart skip a beat as a child darted across the road?

For many drivers, the school run is a daily reminder of how vulnerable young Aussies are and why road safety rules matter more than ever.

Now, a major push is underway to make streets safer, and it could mean a significant change for drivers across the country.

Across Australia, calls for reduced speed limits in school zones grow louder.

A worrying rise in 'near-misses' has sparked this concern, along with the reality that even a slight speed boost could mean a tragedy.

In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), a concerned mum recently had a terrifying experience.

School zones have a slower speed limit to keep children safe on the road. Image Credit: Pexels/Noe Garde

Veronica witnessed a vehicle speeding past her as she crossed a school zone.

She was with her son, who was in a pram and was alongside her daughter.

Since then, she has advocated for change in their road rules.

'I think it would make a huge difference because it would make the area more welcoming to pedestrians,' Veronica shared in an interview.

'Speed bumps are not close enough to the crossing, and we may need more of them.'

'A wombat crossing [raised zebra crossing]… would really help because it would force cars to slow down right before they got to where children are,' she added.

Veronica's story was just one of the many cases related to school zones.

Parents, teachers, and road safety advocates across the country are demanding action.

One of these calls was for decreased school zone speed, from the initial 40 km/h down to 30 km/h.

Several local councils have since acted on it before their state or territory governments take action.

Melbourne's inner-city suburbs like Fitzroy and Collingwood have already reduced speed limits in school zones and high-foot-traffic areas.

Sydney hotspots such as Manly and Parramatta followed suit.

These changes resulted in safer streets, fewer accidents, and a more welcoming environment for pedestrians and cyclists.

Despite these rules implemented in Melbourne and Sydney, there's still a lot of work to be done.

Most places in NSW, Victoria, and South Australia still have a 40 km/h speed limit at school zones.

However, several parts of Queensland have a speed limit of 60 km/h.

A recent ACT-based study led by the Centre for Automotive Safety Research's Dr James Thompson found that many drivers were still speeding even with a 40 km/h limit.

Advocates have been pushing for a speed limit of 30 km/h in school zones.

According to experts, this speed lessens the risk of death if a pedestrian gets hit by a car.

'People continue to speed through zones, putting our most vulnerable at risk,' Peter Frazer OAM, a passionate road safety advocate, stated.

'If we could reduce speed-related fatalities by 40 per cent, that would mean about 550 fewer people being killed nationally each year.'

Frazer has been a road safety advocate after he lost his daughter to a distracted truck driver.

A Monash University Accident Research Centre study backed the proposed speed limit.

According to their findings, reducing speed limits to 30 km/h in high-pedestrian areas could halve the number of serious injury crashes.

However, It's not just about preventing accidents.

Lower speed limits make neighbourhoods more liveable.

Slower traffic encourages walking and cycling and could help to forge a more connected community.

For older Australians, who may feel less confident crossing busy roads, these changes could make a massive difference.

Despite the evidence, change can be slow.

Veronica and her fellow advocates in the ACT are still waiting for action, even after sharing their stories and near-misses.

However, momentum is building, with more councils and states slower speed limits in school zones and busy pedestrian areas.

Key Takeaways

• There has been a growing push in the ACT and other parts of Australia to lower school zone speed limits from 40 km/h to 30 km/h.
• Road safety experts and advocates argued that reduced speed limits in school zones and high pedestrian areas significantly decrease the risk and severity of crashes.
• Studies, such as those from the Centre for Automotive Safety Research and Monash University, support the move, indicating that dropping speed limits could reduce serious injury crashes by up to 50 per cent.
• Some local councils around Australia have already implemented lower speed limits in busy pedestrian areas, and there are calls for other jurisdictions to adopt similar changes.

Have you noticed drivers speeding through school zones? Will lowering the speed limit to 30 km/h make a difference? We would love to hear your thoughts and opinions about road safety in the comments below.

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[meighLeigh]

All schools should have boom gates on their crossings not lights... that would solve it.

Very good idea! Though there'd still be idiots who drive through the boom gates!

 

[mylittletibbies]

I too was a helicopter mum, driving my daughter's too and from kindergarten, then primary school and then, yes, high school. For their safety and my peace of mind, I had to see my children literally walk through the main school gates and when picking them up, I would wait at the school gates for then go drive them home. I have been told by many parents and even some teachers, that this is not how my children will become independant. I believe if I am able to provide transport for my children throughout their education, then that is what I will do. There are so many dangers that young females could encounter these days, too and from school, so if I can provide safety by driving them too and from school, so be it. Today both my daughter's have a driver's licence and drive themselves to and from University, where they are both studying a Bachelor of Law degree. When I think back to all the times i drove my daughter's too and from their school, the time it too, the petrol, the juggling and redirection of other tasks for the day, just to prioritise the driving too and from school task, I think if I had to, I would do it all over again, just ti know my daughters have arrived safely too and from school.

Sorry but I'm afraid I agree with the other parents and teachers.
Children need to be protected yes, but not to the extent where they don't actually know how to protect themselves when it comes time to go out into the big wide world
Mummy can't always be there to protect them.
My kids looked out for each other.
My son got banned from the school bus once for sticking up for his sister.
This boy the same age as my son used to bully my intellectually disabled daughter. He put his foot out in the aisle and deliberately tripped her up, where she fell and hit her head. My son jumped up and yelled at him whereupon the kid threw a punch at him. Big mistake my son did tai kwon do so he found himself flat on his rear end.
Mummy went to the school and lodged a complaint against my son. Her poor little bully boy hero. who was doing worse to my poor daughter who was three years younger than him, had been humiliated in front of school mates.
If my son had done something like that I would have grounded him for 3 months and apologised to the mother .
And then the school banned my son off the school bus for 4 weeks. I was proud of my son for sticking up for his sister. I don't think the other boys mother realised just how much more damage my son could have done had he wished. Even though he was only thirteen he was already only one belt off his black belt.
Better to have your kids learn to look after themselves while they're young instead of letting them grow up sooky lala's.

 

[Liag]

Speed cameras at school sites could be a solution. Getting them in the hip pocket is the best deterrent.

 

[Leenie]

Sorry but I'm afraid I agree with the other parents and teachers.
Children need to be protected yes, but not to the extent where they don't actually know how to protect themselves when it comes time to go out into the big wide world
Mummy can't always be there to protect them.
My kids looked out for each other.
My son got banned from the school bus once for sticking up for his sister.
This boy the same age as my son used to bully my intellectually disabled daughter. He put his foot out in the aisle and deliberately tripped her up, where she fell and hit her head. My son jumped up and yelled at him whereupon the kid threw a punch at him. Big mistake my son did tai kwon do so he found himself flat on his rear end.
Mummy went to the school and lodged a complaint against my son. Her poor little bully boy hero. who was doing worse to my poor daughter who was three years younger than him, had been humiliated in front of school mates.
If my son had done something like that I would have grounded him for 3 months and apologised to the mother .
And then the school banned my son off the school bus for 4 weeks. I was proud of my son for sticking up for his sister. I don't think the other boys mother realised just how much more damage my son could have done had he wished. Even though he was only thirteen he was already only one belt off his black belt.
Better to have your kids learn to look after themselves while they're young instead of letting them grow up sooky lala's.

I’m with you on this one , my daughters walked or rode the bikes to school.

 

[Leenie]

Speed cameras at school sites could be a solution. Getting them in the hip pocket is the best deterrent.

Doubt it as the police are often out with speed cameras near schools in our city , and high school students ignore signs and just walk out in front of traffic .

 

[DLHM]

Children need to be taught road safety at an early age by their parent/guardian. It can be ongoing for however long it takes. The child will feel more self sufficient and comfortable about crossing roads and intersections. They’ll also be aware of watching the traffic instead of relying on someone to do their thinking for them.

My mum walked me to school on my first day, and I walked home by myself. There after, I walked to and from school everyday. I began school before I turned five years of age.

I remember a car being driven by a man who pulled up along side me as I walked home from school (aged six). He tried talking to me but I ran like hell.
Most children are quite capable of learning to look after themselves at a young age. They just need to be given the chance and the skills.