Reckless, distracted: Why parents don’t trust drivers to keep their kids safe on the way to school

A shocking number of NSW motorists have confessed to driving recklessly around schools and being distracted by their phone at the drop-off, amid a generational shift in the average school commute.

Umer Sarfraz and his son Noah, who will be starting Year 1 at the new Box Hill Public School this year. Noah’s parents have safety concerns about the roads around the school. Picture: Thomas Lisson

A shocking number of NSW motorists have confessed to driving recklessly around schools and being distracted by their phone at the drop-off, with as many as one in 10 choosing to speed through school zones simply because they don’t see any children around.

The survey of 1000 Australians, conducted for insurance company AAMI, found parents in NSW are more likely than other mums and dads around the country to let their kids walk or ride to school.

However, more than half fear for their child’s safety when crossing roads and encountering careless drivers.

When asked if they would allow their primary school-aged children to walk or ride a bike or scooter to school by themselves or with other children, 42 per cent said yes – higher than the national average – while a further 24 per cent said they would only allow their children to walk if they are with their mum or dad, or another adult.

More than one in five said their children are driven to and from school, and 14 per cent said their children travel by school bus or another form of public transport.

Startling admissions from NSW drivers have reinforced concerns about school zone safety. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The majority of parents surveyed reported safety concerns to be the main reason they would not allow their school to travel on foot alone, with most mums and dads worried about drivers’ behaviour rather than their children’s – only 15 per cent said their children don’t have the awareness and road safety sense to do so.

Their fears were vindicated by the behaviour those same survey takers themselves admitted to when behind the wheel, with almost one in 10 NSW respondents reporting they had been distracted texting, calling or checking their mobile phone while driving in a school zone – more than in any other jurisdiction.

NSW parents are more likely than others to allow their child to walk to school by themselves, but the majority are still concerned about how other drivers behave. Picture: Ian Currie

Over a quarter said they had sped through a school zone without noticing the signs, and eight per cent said they had been involved in a car accident or a near miss in a school zone.

Many parents also admitted to failing to observe road rules and schools’ ‘kiss and drop’ zones, with 24 per cent saying they were confused about their school’s rules for pick-up and drop-off areas.

Australian Road Safety Foundation founder Russell White said the findings are a “troubling symptom” of a “broader problem”.

“When we have a quarter of drivers admitting to speeding through school zones, that is a sign that there’s a much bigger social problem at hand,” he said.

“People are putting their own needs above those of the people around them, including our most vulnerable road users.

“For the last four years, Australia’s road toll has risen year on year, and that hasn’t happened since the 1960s.”

Resorting to driving young students to school instead is “robbing kids of that potential opportunity to gain road safety skills”, Mr White warned.

School zones have been in place for decades, yet some drivers remain ignorant or intentionally reckless around them.

AAMI spokeswoman Luisa Rose said it reinforces the need for all motorists to take more care on the roads, slow down and avoid distractions while driving in and through school zones.

“Kids are unpredictable,” she said.

“Parents are saying that they don’t feel their kids have enough road safety knowledge but if they’re not biking, riding or scootering to school, they’re not getting exposure.

“It really does come back to driver behaviour – these speed limits have been around for decades, so there really is no excuse.”

Box Hill dad Umer Sarfraz and his six-year-old son Noah love walking to school together. Picture: Thomas Lisson

Box Hill father Umer Sarfraz spent last year driving his son Noah to Kindergarten in another suburb, but with Box Hill Public School opening this year, the six-and-a-half-year-old will finally be within walking distance of his school.

However Noah’s parents will be walking with their son for the foreseeable future amid concerns about the lack of school zone signage for the new school and heavy machinery moving around the surrounding streets.

“Right now there’s very little consideration for road safety,” Mr Sarfraz.

“Mostly drivers are conscious of there being kids around the area, but we’ve seen construction vehicles tend to be on the more careless side when driving.

“It’s harder to see young children on the road in those big vehicles, so I don’t feel Noah is safe enough.”

Mr Sarfraz said despite his own circumstances, he was not surprised that 42 per cent of families in NSW did let their kids walk to school alone.

“If we were in a slightly safer suburb, I’d love to let Noah do that, but in a place like Box Hill I wouldn’t be surprised if you see the opposite trend,” he said.