Winnipeg drivers fail school zone safety assessment

More than 1,600 instances of risky driving behaviour were witnessed in three Winnipeg school zones Wednesday morning, including a woman reaching back to feed her baby in a rear car seat.

Spotters also saw a man driving backwards down one street and a speeding school bus.

Driver behaviour was examined by CAA Manitoba and the Winnipeg police, who teamed up for the fifth annual back-to-school safety assessment.

Observation teams were stationed in three school zones — Sister MacNamara on Sargent Avenue, Ecole Howden on Howden Road and Ecole Viscount Alexander on Waterford Avenue — recording instances of risky driving between 7:30 and 9 a.m.

• CAA, Winnipeg police see 1,531 risky driving incidents in school zones

Mike Mager, president and CEO of CAA Manitoba, said even though it has been more than a year since the 30 km/h speed limits were implemented in school zones, many people are still not paying attention.

On Wednesday, there were 173 motorists found speeding during the assessment, something Mager called "totally unacceptable."

In addition to speeding, the most common infractions included:

• Failing to stop at a stop line, crosswalk, for patrols, or rolling through a stop – 587 instances.
• Distracted driving – 79 instances.
• Changing lanes illegally – 185 instances.

In all, there were 1,616 instances noted at the three school zones in two hours. Some other unusual behaviour includes:

• Mother feeding baby a bottle in a rear car seat – while driving.
• Driver going backwards down one street.
• Drivers and cyclists wearing two earphones.
• One driver, travelling at 55 km/h in a 30 km/h zone, flew through a crosswalk where a child was waiting to cross.
• One school bus going 39 km/h in 30 km/h zone.
• Child cyclist, without helmet, reading a poster while weaving all over the road.

"Driving a car and reaching back while feeding their baby the bottle. [It's] completely puzzling as to why somebody would think that was an OK behavior while driving a car trying to feed your child in the back seat," Mager said.

In past years, the observation teams have spotted drivers doing things like cars passing stopped school buses, and more ridiculous things like drivers applying makeup, shaving, and even brushing teeth.

"You see all kinds of behaviour — the eating, the texting, hands off the wheel, they're everywhere else except where they're supposed to be," said police Chief Devon Clunis.

"It's not that people are out to hurt anyone, but they're just not paying enough due diligence and proper thought to the fact that now you're behind the wheel and you have to be worried about other people's safety."

In one case at a school in Brandon last year, a driver was smoking, speeding and talking on his cellphone, all at the same time.