Northern suburbs schools worst impacted by car crashes, collisions during school drop off, pick up

More than one in five crashes near Victorian schools are occurring in Melbourne’s north, prompting safety concerns for kids travelling to and from school.

Northern suburbs primary school kids are in the most danger during drop off and pick up, the Herald Sun can reveal.

Exclusive analysis of all Victorian road incidents in the past five years — excluding fender benders and incidents that weren’t reported to authorities — shows more than 550 crashes were recorded within 200m of school gates during school zone times.

Of those, one in five were near northern suburbs schools.

The most unsafe roads were around St Damians School in Bundoora, where 11 incidents were recorded.

These included a car hitting a pedestrian, several two-car collisions and cars crashing into stationary objects.

The school sits near the intersection of Australia’s most dangerous road, Plenty Rd, and Settlement Rd.

St Damian's School in Bundoora recorded 11 accidents near the school gates during peak school zone periods. Picture: Supplied.

St Damians School mum Nat said traffic congestion, especially around school drop off times, was a “nightmare” to deal with.

“You have to pay so much attention to kids crossing and navigating what lane you need to be in and the traffic just makes it worse,” she said.

“There are always crashes happening near the school or along my drive to go pick my son up.”

Outside of school drop off and pick up times, there were an additional 18 incidents at the dangerous intersection, including a crash that killed soon-to-be groom Taha Hojok just weeks before his 25th birthday.

Taha Hojok crashed into a pole on Settlement Rd and died at the scene on the evening of October 31, 2022, days before his 25th birthday. Picture: Supplied.

Antonia Sellbach — whose daughter attends Newlands Primary School — said it was a “basic right” to feel safe during the school commute.

“(Feeling unsafe navigating the roads) is becoming normal for everybody to put up with, and it shouldn’t,” she said.

“We’re all very stressed, worried and concerned (about road safety), and everybody has a story (about collisions).”

A recent survey, conducted by Safer Walking and Riding for Murray Road, found secondary students at the nearby Coburg High School didn’t feel safe walking to and from school.

Ms Sellbach said, even when her daughter reached high school age, she wouldn’t let her navigate the “absolutely unsafe” road solo.

“Even as an adult, you get quite good at navigating roads, but there’s (still) no way (she could) do that on her own,” she said.

Cate Hall said roads schools need to be made safer for kids to be able to walk and ride to school. Picture: Supplied.

Coburg’s Safer for Walking and Riding for Murray Road advocacy group spokeswoman Cate Hall said school parents felt a “sense of danger” when sending their children to school, especially during pick-ups and drop-offs.

“There’s a lot of worry about driver behaviour, but also the actual road conditions, the road design and the speed limit,” she said.

“All those things combined create a sense of danger,” she said.

Ms Hall said there was a “desire” for parents and children to walk or bike to school, and the “onus” was on authorities to make roads safer.

The data showed a decrease in incidents during Melbourne’s lockdowns throughout the pandemic, when most students attended school remotely.

Head of road safety at TAC Samantha Cockfield said drivers need to take extra care around schools.

“All drivers need to be cautious when driving because children are still developing the skills and experience to be safe around vehicles and are more vulnerable in the event of a road accident,” she said.

“We ask motorists to put your phone away, slow down in and around school zones, and avoid illegal and risky behaviours such as u-turns and double parking.”

St Damians School was contacted for comment.