Drivers confess to reckless act on Aussie roads amid major 'generational shift'

In one Aussie state, parents cite bad driver behaviour for not letting their kids travel alone to school. But, many have also admitted wrongdoing themselves.

Right: A child rides a scooter on a footpath. Left: Motorists in a traffic jam.
In NSW, only 37 per cent of parents allow their children to travel to school independently or with peers. Source: Reddit

Motorists have confessed to speeding in school zones and using their phones while driving through drop-off areas, worrying new research has revealed. It's prompted an important safety warning to all Australians, especially as kids head back to school.

Released today, a study from insurer AAMI showed that over half (56 per cent) of primary school children are now driven or accompanied to and from school by an adult in NSW. In contrast, only 37 per cent of parents allow their children to travel to school independently or with peers.

The data highlights a significant "generational shift" compared to previous years, where nearly seven in ten Australians (69 per cent) regularly walked, biked, or scooted to and from school on their own.

While parents acknowledged their own unsafe habits near schools, they also cited dangerous driving behaviours by others as a primary reason for not allowing children to travel alone in the mornings.

A school zone road sign in Sydney, Australia.
Australians have confessed to speeding in school zones and using their phones while driving through drop-off areas. Source: Getty

A quarter of the 1,000 survey respondents (25 per cent) admitted speeding through school zones because they didn't notice signs. More than one in ten (12 per cent) said they do not always follow school 'Drop and Go' zone rules.

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A further 12 per cent admitted to speeding through school zones when they don't see any children around and, to being distracted by their phone while driving or queuing in a school drop-off zone.

Just over 10 per cent have double parked or stopped in the middle of the road in front of their children's school.

As children head back to school for the first time this year next week, AAMI Motor Claims Executive Manager Luisa Rose said the "findings indicate a generational shift" in the way parents let their children commute to and from school, with the majority of kids now being driven or chaperoned by an adult.

"With this shift in our approach to school travel we need to be aware children may not have road safety skills and awareness, increasing the risk of an accident occurring in a school zone," Rose said.

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"While understandably not everyone can walk, ride or scoot to school due to distance and time, one thing everyone can do is learn, and follow, is the road rules to ensure our children are safe when arriving at and leaving school."

Russell White, chair and founder of the Australian Road Safety Foundation urged parents to practise caution on the roads. "Alarmingly, deaths among children aged zero to seven years increased by 54 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year, and this is not a trajectory we want to see continue in 2025," White said.

"This year, we hope to see a decrease in road fatalities especially involving children, and we're calling on the community to help.

"AAMI's research findings revealed that Australians are driving recklessly in and around school zones and need to pay attention to speed limits and rules that have been put in place to keep children safe. Speed signs in school zones have been around for decades, so there is no excuse to be confused by them or to be caught speeding during those designated times."

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White said "the keys to reducing the Australian road toll are in our hands".

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