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In a nutshell
- Risky driving behaviors were observed at 98% of the 552 Canadian elementary schools studied, with the most common being unsafe mid-block crossings (80%).
- Schools with fewer dangerous driving behaviors typically had lower speed limits, better access to entrances, more parking restrictions, and features like curb extensions.
- Adult crossing guards were associated with safer driving around schools, while child-only crossing guards were more common at schools with higher rates of dangerous driving.
CALGARY — Parents rushing to drop their kids off at school could be unwittingly putting their little ones in harm’s way, a new paper suggests. Researchers at the University of Calgary found that dangerous driving behaviors were spotted at a jaw-dropping 98% of elementary schools monitored in their study during morning drop-off times.
The biggest risk? Parents letting kids off on the wrong side of the street, forcing children to dash across traffic without proper crosswalks. This happened at 80% of the 552 schools studied, creating a serious safety hazard during the busiest time of the school day.
“The occurrence of risky driving behaviors is unacceptably high,” write researchers in their study published in Traffic Injury Prevention. Their findings expose a troubling paradox: parents who drive children to school thinking it’s safer may actually be making conditions more dangerous.
Which Risky Driving Behaviors are the Worst at Schools?
The research team, representing universities and institutions across Canada, documented nine specific types of risky driving behaviors. Beyond dangerous mid-block crossings, they frequently observed drivers blocking sightlines (72%), making U-turns in front of schools (66%), and double parking (57%).
Interestingly, phone use or texting was the least common risk behavior overall (20%).
These behaviors feed what researchers describe as a dangerous cycle. As more parents see the school zone as unsafe for walking or biking, they opt to drive their kids, increasing traffic congestion and creating even more hazards. This further discourages active transportation and perpetuates the problem.
“Risky walking and biking environments near schools may create a vicious cycle, wherein parents view the environment as too dangerous for children to participate in active school transportation so drive them to school, thus increasing traffic volumes,” the researchers explain.
Common Characteristics Across Safest School Zones
The study covered 552 elementary schools in Calgary, Laval, Montreal, Peel Region, Surrey, Toronto, and Vancouver. Research assistants positioned themselves near school entrances during morning drop-offs, recording whether any of nine specific dangerous driving behaviors occurred while also gathering data on the physical environment around schools.
Perhaps the most valuable insights came when researchers compared schools with the fewest dangerous behaviors to those with the most. Schools with safer drop-offs typically had lower speed limits (30km/h or 40km/h rather than 50+ km/h), more direct access to entrances, and more parking restrictions on surrounding streets.
Traffic-calming measures made a significant difference. Curb extensions – sections of sidewalk that extend into the parking lane to narrow the roadway – were present at 34% of schools with the fewest risky behaviors but just 6% of schools with the most dangerous driving. These extensions not only slow traffic but also reduce the distance pedestrians must travel when crossing.
Another striking finding involved crossing guards. Child crossing guards (without adult supervision) were more often present at schools with higher rates of dangerous driving, while adult crossing guards were linked to fewer risky behaviors. This suggests adult guards may be more effective at deterring dangerous driving than children alone.
Neighborhoods with better “Active Living Environment” scores — areas designed to promote walking and physical activity — had fewer instances of risky driving around schools, indicating that community-wide urban design plays a role in reducing dangers.
Better Awareness Needed
The findings highlight that keeping children safe shouldn’t be the responsibility of the children themselves. As the researchers point out, “children are still developing and may not have the situational awareness or cognitive development to identify road hazards.” Instead, safety should be ensured by drivers and improved road environments.
The evidence calls for quick action to address the widespread problem of risky driving around schools. Lower speed limits, better road design, adult crossing guards, and parking restrictions could all help create safer environments. Until changes happen, the parents trying to protect their kids by driving them to school might be contributing to a serious safety problem affecting all children.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The study examined 552 elementary schools across seven Canadian municipalities (Calgary, Laval, Montreal, Peel Region, Surrey, Toronto, and Vancouver) during spring 2018 and 2019. Research assistants observed morning drop-off periods from 20 minutes before until 5 minutes after school start. They documented whether any of nine specific risky driving behaviors occurred: U-turns, backing up dangerously, double parking, disobeying traffic controls, blocking crossing controls, blocking sightlines, dropping children on the opposite side of the street (forcing mid-block crossing), texting while driving, and talking on the phone while driving. The team also conducted environmental audits, recording features like speed limits, parking restrictions, and infrastructure around each school.
Results
Risky driving was observed at 98% of schools, with the most common behavior (80%) being dropping children on the opposite side of the street without proper crossing controls. Other frequent behaviors included blocking sightlines (72%), U-turns (66%), and double parking (57%). Schools with fewer risky behaviors typically had lower speed limits, more direct entrance access, more parking restrictions, and features like curb extensions. Schools with more risky behaviors had more adjacent roadways, more bus drop-off areas, and more often had child crossing guards without adult supervision. City-specific patterns emerged, with Calgary having the highest rates of some behaviors, including texting while driving (21% vs. 8% overall).
Limitations
The study was descriptive rather than establishing causation between environment and behaviors. Researchers could only document whether behaviors occurred at least once, not how frequently. The analysis treated all risky behaviors as equally dangerous, which may not reflect reality. Some behaviors might have been missed by observers, potentially leading to underestimation. Additionally, the study couldn’t connect specific driving behaviors to actual collision risk due to limited sample sizes from previous research.
Funding and Disclosures
The study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Team Grant: Environments and Health: Intersectoral Prevention Research, The Built Environment and Active Transportation Safety in Children and Youth (number IP2-150706). The lead author received support from a CIHR Doctoral Award. No conflicts of interest were reported.
Publication Information
“Risky driving behaviors at school drop-off across Canadian municipalities: Findings from the Child Active Transportation Safety and the Environment (CHASE) study” was published in Traffic Injury Prevention in 2025. The multidisciplinary research team included Tona M. Pitt, Alison Macpherson, Liraz Fridman, Brent E. Hagel, Meghan Winters, Marie-Soleil Cloutier, Tate HubkaRao, Pamela Fuselli, Andrew Howard, and Linda Rothman from institutions including the University of Calgary, York University, University of Toronto, Simon Fraser University, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, and Toronto Metropolitan University.
