On Monday, June 20, 2022, a CAA School Zone Safety Assessment was conducted at Shaunavon High School in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan. The assessment took place before school from 8:15 a.m. to 8:50 a.m., lunch dismissal from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and after school from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Staff from the Town of Shaunavon, the Shaunavon RCMP detachment, and community volunteers worked onsite in teams to track risky behaviours performed by motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists in the school zone.

 Photo courtesy of the Town of Shaunavon

“The CAA School Zone Safety Assessment is an online application (app) that tracks the identified risky behaviours and ultimately provides education and awareness about the importance of school zone safety,” said Lona Gervais, Communications Specialist for CAA Saskatchewan. “The assessment tool is free of charge and can be booked through CAA Saskatchewan.”

School or community staff must make themselves available for onsite tracking and can work with CAA to establish the risky behaviours to be tracked. The results are collected and given to the school community to share with staff, students, families, community partners, and decision makers regarding necessary steps to improve the safety in their school zones.

Bonnie Lingenfelter, Regional Bylaw Officer for the Town of Shaunavon, remarked “The CAA School Zone Safety Assessment App has allowed us to collect data by tracking the risky behaviours of motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists in Shaunavon. We will use these results to make safety improvements in our school zones and playground zones.”

This is the Town of Shaunavon’s third CAA School Zone Safety Assessment. The first assessment was at Shaunavon Public School on March 29 and the second at Christ the King School on May 17.

“Thanks to CAA Saskatchewan for providing us with the CAA School Zone Safety Assessment App and for their assistance with our assessments,” said Tara Fritz, Chief Administrative Officer with the Town of Shaunavon. “We will review the data and make some recommendations to improve the safety for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists in our community.”

According to the June 20 Shaunavon High School assessment, the top hazardous driving behaviours that motorists perform in the school zone are speeding, failing to stop at stop signs, and not signaling a lane change or to turn. The top risky pedestrian behaviours are jaywalking and failing to look both ways before crossing the street. The top risky cyclist behaviours are not wearing a bicycle helmet and failing to stop at an intersection.

CAA reminds motorists that we can work together to make our school zones safe by:
•    Observing and obeying the posted speed limits and hours that the speed limits are enforced
•    Eliminating distracted driving
•    Obeying traffic laws
•    Understanding and abiding by the ‘no stopping’ and ‘no parking’ signage

It’s good safety practice for pedestrians to STOP, LOOK, LISTEN and THINK before crossing streets and busy intersections. Students and families, please remember to cross at crosswalks and marked intersections and never jaywalk. Avoid being a distracted pedestrian – be alert and attentive by putting your mobile devices away and removing headphones and earphones.

CAA reminds families and cyclists that bicycles are considered, by law, a vehicle on the road and cyclists must obey the same rules when travelling on the road. If you dismount and walk alongside your bike, you’re considered a pedestrian and have the same rights as a pedestrian.

The combined number of risky behaviours at Shaunavon High School during the CAA School Zone Safety Assessment is 213. Detailed results can be found here.

Learn more at caask.ca/schoolzonesafety and download the CAA Family Safety Booklet.

-30-

For further information, contact:
Lona Gervais
Communications Specialist
CAA Saskatchewan
306.537.5758
lona.gervais@caask.ca 

Bonnie Lingenfelter
Regional Bylaw Officer
Town of Shaunavon
306.297.2605
regionalbylaw@gmail.com

Tara Fritz
Chief Administrative Officer
Town of Shaunavon
306.297.2605
shaunavon@sasktel.net