Worryingly, one in four admitted to speeding near their children’s school, while one in five said they had driven down restricted zones, and 23% had blocked pathways.
And more than one in five (21%) of drivers even claim they have been guilty of going over the speed limit near schools.
Bryn Brooker, head of road safety at dash cam company Nextbase, which commissioned the research and quiz, said: “School drop-off and pick up should be a happy time for families, but instead it’s a time of worry, stress and ultimately risk.
“With so many not knowing the rules of the road around their schools, it’s resulting in 80% of parents reporting arguments every school term.”
Mary Williams OBE, chief executive officer of road safety charity Brake, said:
“The school run carries risks for children for so many reasons including peak traffic times, drivers feeling rushed when they should be focused on safety, unsafe parking, and traffic pollution; and it can be even more risky in the darker winter months.
“This Nextbase survey highlights many dangerous behaviours around the school run, from speeding to engine idling, risking children’s lives and lungs. It is vital to have effective road safety measures in our communities to protect children and families and enable us to travel in healthy ways that benefit us all by walking and cycling. We need more segregated cycle paths, traffic-free zones and low speed limits across communities to end the carnage on roads.”
Just under one in three respondents (29%) will illegally leave their engines running, emitting fumes while waiting for kids to emerge from school.
Another 22% are happy to block driveways if it means they can get closer to the school gates.
A further 34% would appreciate dash cams being used to settle disputes, according to the OnePoll figures.
A fifth (21%) have already used dash cam footage to clear up a disagreement about which driver was in the wrong.
The top reason parents will break the Highway Code outside their children’s school was found to be simply wanting to get there quicker (54%).
However, 53% worry they won’t be able to find a place to park, and 48% confess to simply not paying enough attention.
Despite confessing to a litany of driving offences, 55% wish more was done to enforce road safety outside their children’s schools.
Just over a third (37%) would like to see larger fines for careless driving and 33% want teachers to do more to dissuade poor motoring habits.
Three in 10 have seen parents being fined – or at least told off – for driving habits around their children’s school.
And a whopping 39%have personally witnessed a crash, or dangerous parking or driving in this busy area.
Brooker added: “We’re becoming a society where very little happens on the road without it being filmed.
“For those who are the innocent party in a collision, this is a real blessing as the footage makes police and insurers’ lives so much easier. Choosing to have a dash cam in your car can give real peace of mind that if something does go wrong, by a school or elsewhere, there will be a record of the event.
“Having evidence to prove that you were not at fault has shown to be the most useful tool. It is also helping to make the roads safer by helping others understand how to drive in high risk areas.”
Top anti-Highway Code activities parents admit doing outside schools
- Parking outside the school gates
- Parents and children crossing the road without looking
- People leaving their engines on while waiting for children
- Parents and children walking in the cycle lane
- Parents and children walking in the road
- Parking in the cycle lane
- Parking on double yellow lines
- Parking on zig-zag lines outside school
- Driving down restricted zones
- Parking in the middle of the road
- Blocking driveways
- Blocking pathways
- Speeding
