Time to pay close attention inside – and outside – Queensland classrooms

• School zones are back in force from Monday 22 January and motorists must keep below the signed speed limit in school zones.
• Children can stay safe by being alert near any road or driveway and obeying school crossing supervisors.
• Police will be on the lookout for speeding motorists with almost 37,000 school zone speeding infringements issued since January 2021.

Queensland is almost back to school and every child in the state should have invaluable road safety lessons packed in their schoolbag, alongside a lunchbox, water bottle and hat.

School zones will be back in force from Monday 22 January, with motorists urged to keep everybody safe by slowing down to the signed speed limits and watching closely for children.

School zone times have been standardised in Queensland to help motorists remember when to slow down. The operating times for most school zones are 7–9am and 2–4pm, with some operating all day between 7am–4pm. 

As police road safety operations begin, the Queensland Police Service (QPS) is reminding all motorists to slow down, and to be extra alert on the roads, with many young students going to school for the first time, who may not yet be as familiar with road safety as their older peers.

As part of the school safety enforcement, police will be patrolling in and around school zones to enforcing speed limits and conduct roadside breath testing to detect impaired drivers, to make sure children get to and from school safely.

Speeding continues to be one of the main contributing factors in deaths and serious injuries on our roads.

Since 2021 almost 37,000 school zone speeding infringements have been issued across Queensland (see full table below).

New Roadways Behaviour Monitoring System speed cameras (RBMS) have been activated in higher risk Queensland school zones since August 2023. Encouragingly, there has been an overall reduction in offences detected across these sites.

One site had an average of 6.78 offences detected per operational hour during the first week in operation in August (14-18 August), and this has now decreased to an average of 3.37 offences detected per operational hour over subsequent deployments.

However, some drivers are continuing to do the wrong thing, as over 10,000 total offences have been captured by RBMS cameras so far, with some drivers exceeding the school zone speed limit by over 40km/h - more than double the applicable speed limit.

Fines and demerit points are issued to those who fail to slow down in a school zone.  These fines are used to fund important road safety initiatives and education across Queensland.

RBMS cameras only operate during the designated times on the flashing school zone signs and drivers who do the right thing and slow down have nothing to worry about.  The cameras provide additional functionality by displaying the speed limit on the attached sign and are capable of monitoring traffic through the zone for statistics and behaviour.

Parents and carers can also help their children keep safe by helping to educate their children about key road safety rules, reminding them to stay alert and slowing down when they are near a road or driveway, and by obeying school crossing supervisors who are there to help kids cross the road safely. Further tips for parents and carers include:

• Show your children how to look for vehicles coming in and out of driveways and discourage them from playing behind parked cars, or with toys or balls when walking to school. 
• Ensure your child knows the safest route to and from school. This is usually the way with the least traffic and the fewest roads to cross and teach your child to always walk on footpaths. 
• Show your child how to cross at traffic lights when the green 'walk' sign is showing at pedestrian crossings when vehicles have stopped and at supervised school crossings when the supervisor has signalled it is safe to do so. 
• Accompany children when walking or riding to school until they are old enough to understand road safety (usually around 10 years or older) 
• If children catch the bus, teach them to never cross in front of or behind a bus - wait until the bus goes before crossing the road. 
• Make sure wheeled devices (bicycle, scooter, skateboard, or rollerblades) used to travel to school are well maintained and that the appropriate safety gear (helmet, visible clothing, knee and elbow pads) are used.
• Students are encouraged to plan their back-to-school journeys ahead of the introduction of new and improved bus services. Information about school travel is available on the Translink website, via the MyTranslink app or by calling 13 12 30.

 Quotes attributable to the Police Minister Mark Ryan:

“I know the return to school is a busy time for families, but please remember to be patient when you’re doing the morning and afternoon school run,” he said.

“The school zones are there to protect children, there’s no excuse for speeding through a school zone, it is simply dangerous.

“Be an attentive driver, there’s nothing more important than the safety of our children.”

Quotes attributable to acting Minister for Transport and Main Roads Scott Stewart:

“All Queenslanders have a very important role to play in keeping our children safe as they make their way to and from school each day.

“School zones are back in force as of Monday January 22 with times standardised across most of the state to ensure motorists know when to slow down.

“There is no excuse for endangering our kids and any motorists caught doing the wrong thing will be punished accordingly.

“Between 7-9am and 2-4pm, motorists need to slow down to below the signed speed limit and watch out for children, especially around buses, parked cars and at busy school drop-off zones.

“And parents and carers can help by educating their children about road safety, reminding them to stay alert and slowing down when they are near any road or driveway as well as listening closely to the instructions from our school crossing supervisors.’’

Quotes attributable to Assistant Commissioner Chris Stream:

“Police will be enforcing road safety around school zones throughout Queensland to keep our kids safe,” he said.

“We want drivers to be aware of the speed limit, which are clearly signed as you enter the school zone.

“Make the right decisions when you get behind the wheel, this should be a happy and exciting time for families, we do not want to see any tragedies.” 

FURTHER INFORMATION 

 ENDS

Media contact: Nicola Field (Police Minister's Office) - 0497 940 285