As kids across the province prepare for the start of the summer holidays, the BC Highway Patrol is taking the unusual step of debunking online rumours about school zones.
BC Highway Patrol issued a news release on Thursday with the headline “No, school zones are not changing to 24/7”.
“Some disreputable websites are claiming that all Canadian school zones will be in effect 24/7 starting July 1, 2025. These websites are completely wrong, and social media and AI are amplifying the misinformation,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin. “School zones are a provincial jurisdiction. There are no sweeping changes coming for Canada.”
He points out that Section 147 of the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act says that "a person driving a vehicle on a regular school day and on a highway where signs are displayed stating a speed limit of 30 km/h “must drive at a rate of speed not exceeding 30 km/h… between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., or… between any extended times that are stated on the signs.”
BCHP also offers these tips for what to look for when browsing traffic-related internet content:
Consider the source: Traffic law announcements should come from your provincial government. A website you’ve never heard of, or Ned from Facebook, are not reliable sources;
Who has jurisdiction: Traffic laws are provincial. A Canada-wide change to school zones would require cooperation from all levels of government and would be accompanied by many public announcements;
Timing: When Canada-wide traffic changes are being implemented on short notice, and for no apparent reason, that is a red flag for savvy internet users;
Sweeping, unrelated changes: Other suggested changes include advanced driver systems for all vehicles, tougher distracted driving penalties, impaired driving law updates, and changes to pedestrian zones. These are complicated issues, and bunching them all together should raise red flags.
Anyone with questions or concerns about updates to traffic laws should check with ICBC, the BC Ministry of Transportation, or its counterparts in other provinces.
