Drop-off and pick-up rules exist to keep children, parents and carers safe and to minimise speed and traffic jams around schools. Drop-off and pick-up zones allow you to quickly set down and pick up your children, creating a safe environment while keep traffic moving. Safety Dave is Australia’s trusted supplier of fire safety, first and aid and reverse camera kits. Safety is our speciality so let’s take a look at a few handy tips for drivers and students using school drop-off and pick-up zones.
Why Are Drop-Off and Pick-Up Areas Important?
These designated areas help to make school zones safe because:
- Children are dropped off and picked up close to the school’s entrance (so they do not need to cross any roads)
- They reduce traffic jams around the school (as parents and carers come and go faster than if they were to park and walk into the school grounds)
- They allow smaller children to remain secured in the car while school age children are dropped off and picked up from school
- They relieve traffic congestion around the school by ensuring cars do not park illegally
- They reinforce road safety messages and safe passenger behaviour to parents and children
How Do These Zones Work?
When Using a Drop-Off and Pick-Up Area You:
- Must use the area like a quick moving taxi rank
- Need to move forward in the queue of vehicles to the signed area
- Can get out of your vehicle to quickly help your children get in and out safely, however you must not walk away from your vehicle
- Are only allowed 2 minutes in the signed area (if you take any longer you can be fined)—if your children are not ready to get straight into your vehicle at pick-up time, you will need to drive round the block and queue to enter the area again
- Should only let your children out once you have pulled into the signed area (it is dangerous to let them out while waiting in a queue)
- Should teach your children to look out for your vehicle and to get in quickly when you pull up
Safety Tips for Students
- Always get in and out of the vehicle through the rear footpath-side door
- Stay buckled up until the vehicle has stopped in zone
- Make sure school bags and other items are in a safe position, such as on the floor
- Be ready to get out of the vehicle with your belongings when the car has stopped and you have unbuckled your seatbelt
Parking Near Schools
Sometimes drop-off and pick-up zones aren’t appropriate and you may need to park nearby a school. It’s important to keep in mind that schools are busy areas, where there are often lots of children, many of whom do not always understand the danger of roads and vehicles. Make sure to take extra care when parking on school grounds and on the roads and streets around the school and follow the signed parking rules at all times. When parking near a primary school or early learning centre, the use of reverse camera kits can be incredibly beneficial. Small children can often walk behind vehicles and are often out of the driver’s line of sight. Reverse camera kits allow you to reverse and park safely knowing you have maximum visibility.
If you are looking for the best reverse camera kits in Australia, get in touch with the team at Safety Dave today. We stock a wide range of rear vision kits suitable for most makes and models so you can reverse and park with confidence, every time. Browse our range online now or give us a call on 1800 072 338 for more information.
