Driving in School Zones
Learn.Drive.Survive. Driving School know just how important it is when it comes to teaching learner drivers to drive during driving lessons. School zones are the external area around a school that has a speed limit of 40 km/h and are generally roads adjacent to schools where there is school related activity. Between the ‘SCHOOL ZONE’ and ‘END SCHOOL ZONE’ signs drivers MUST always obey the school zone speed limit. When learning to drive, learner drivers have an added responsibility of not only concentrating on operating the vehicle which can vary for some learners, but to be aware of their surrounding environment.
The main reason is for the overall safety and well-being of our children and secondly, drivers risk receiving hefty fines and loss demerit points. School zones are identified by identifiable signs which are clearly displayed on both approaches to the school. These signs display 40km/h speed limit as well as the times the speed limit applies. Speeding in school zones during specified times in the morning and afternoon is a huge safety concern when it comes to our children’s lives. Majority of school zones generally operate between the hours of 8am-9.30am and 2.30pm-4pm on all gazetted school days to assist in ensuring the overall safety of our children who travel to and from school.
This short video will provide you with useful information and explain the road rules for school zones.
Any driver should know that school zones are prominently marked by clearly displayed signage, flashing lights and road markings, to inform drivers they are entering a school zone. Depending on the school and location, many school crossings are controlled by traffic lights and/or a School Crossing Supervisor also commonly known as a ‘lolly-pop’ lady or man. When school crossings are controlled by a School Crossing Supervisor, drivers must STOP when a crossing supervisor displays the ‘STOP Children Crossing’ sign and should NOT proceed until the sign is no longer displayed and the crossing is clear.
The School Crossing Supervisor program is a state-wide program that was designed and implemented to simply improve road safety and the safety of our children particularly when coming and going from school.
Are you allowed to use cruise control while going through a school zone?
Hi Denise,
Firstly, not sure why you would want to have cruise control activated when travelling through a school zone. As we’ve mentioned before, when travelling through a school zone, drivers have an added responsibility of not only driving safely, but being aware of their surroundings looking for hazards or developing hazards. For safety reasons, you may probably find that many modern vehicles won’t allow the cruise control option to operate below a speed of 60 km/h. Using cruise control through a school zone is not an offence however, it’s certainly a safety risk. Cruise control should never be used during heavy traffic or where lower speeds and braking may be frequently required. And whilst we’re on the topic of cruise control, if you’re supervising a learner driver, always have them manage the speed of the vehicle through their acceleration, braking and/or gears. We always find that learners who rely on cruise control, find it difficult to maintain a consistent speed through acceleration only.