School zones continue to confuse drivers as one-third admit to speeding through them

One-third of Australian drivers in a study conducted by insurance company AAMI admitted to speeding through a school zone – as many students across the country prepare to head back to school.

The study also found up to 29 per cent of drivers admit to being confused about school zones – including times, signs, and speed limits – and one in ten have knowingly broken the speed limit in a school zone if no children were visible.

One in 13 drivers claim they don’t know what times school zones apply, and one in 20 have been involved in an accident or near-miss in or near a school zone. 

As for speeding in general, two-thirds of drivers surveyed admitted to breaking the rules because they didn’t notice the speed-limit signs.

For those who do abide by the speed limit, 48 per cent claimed the fear of getting fined is why they choose to follow the rules. 

Just one in five drivers reportedly cited the fear of injuring other road users as their reason for not speeding. 

Reduced speed limits around schools were introduced to Australia in 1992, with the hopes of improving road safety for students.

Between 2017 and June 2023, New South Wales police officers issued 47,665 school zone speeding fines, while cameras detected 863,469 rule breakers, costing over $220 million. 

A report published by the Sydney Morning Herald claims one child was killed among 86 casualty crashes involving school zones in 2022. 

The data taken from Transport for NSW shows speed was a factor in 870 casualty crashes in school zones over the last ten years. 

In this time, three children aged 5 to 16 were killed, with 19 seriously injured.