School zones are designated areas surrounding schools that frequently get high foot traffic from students.
In Ontario, these zones are protected by strict driving rules and traffic signs. Therefore, it’s your responsibility as a driver to ensure safe driving in areas with high school-generated traffic.
This article can help you review Ontario’s must-know school zone driving rules, including relevant Canadian road signs and their meanings, so keep reading.
Key Takeaways
- There are 7 crucial school zone signs you must absolutely remember while driving in Ontario, including the school zone sign, flashing school zone sign and school crossing sign.
- School zones in Ontario typically have a 30 km/hr to 40 km/hr speed limit.
- To ensure you can avoid getting fined in school zones, always adhere to their speed limit, obey the crossing guards, yield to pedestrians, and of course, never forget the school zone signs in Ontario.
School Zone Traffic Signs In Ontario
These are the school zone traffic signs in Ontario that every driver must understand and remember the meaning of.
School Zone Sign
The school zone sign is a fluorescent, five-sided sign with a black silhouette of two pedestrians crossing. This sign indicates that you’re entering a school zone, requiring you to drive slowly, be more cautious, and watch out for children.
Flashing School Zone Sign
This sign resembles a typical school zone sign stacked on top of a speed limit sign with flashing lights on both sides. These lights flash during school hours to alert drivers that they must maintain the specified speed limit.
Stop For School Bus
Drivers who see this sign must stop for a school bus when its signals are flashing.
Stop For School Bus (Both Directions)
You’ll see this sign on multi-lane highways without centre median dividers. It informs drivers coming from both directions to stop if there’s a bus at a stop with flashing signal lights.
School Bus Loading Zone
This sign marks a zone where school buses load and unload passengers without using the red alternating signal lights and the stop arm.
Hidden School Bus Stop
This sign indicates that you’re approaching a hidden school bus stop. Drive slowly, pay extra attention, and look out for a bus stopping with flashing lights or for children crossing.
School Crossing
Rectangular yellow signs with silhouettes of two pedestrians walking indicate you’re approaching a school crossing. Watch out for children and follow the instructions provided by the school safety patroller or crossing guard.
School Zone Driving Rules In Ontario
Avoid trouble while driving by sticking to these 5 essential school zone driving rules in Ontario.
Recognize School Zones
You must recognize school zones at all times by knowing how to distinguish them from all the other road signs in Ontario.
Apart from the standard 5-sided school zone sign, some indicators that you’re approaching a school zone include seeing crossing guards, school playgrounds, school buses, and groups of students walking together from or toward a school building.
Adhere To The Speed Limit
The school zone speed limit in Toronto and the rest of Ontario will be lower than the speed limits throughout the province. School zones usually have speed limits between 30km/h to 40km/h. Always watch out for posted signs to know the specific speed limit of the area you’re approaching.
Obey The Crossing Guards
You must always follow the instructions of the crossing guards. If they hold a stop sign, immediately stop and only continue driving once all the pedestrians and the crossing guard have safely crossed the street.
Yield To Pedestrians
Whether they’re adults or children, pedestrians are always the priority in school zones. Yield to any pedestrian you see on the crosswalk and look out for students getting off of cars or school buses.
Yield To School Buses
Never pass a stopped school bus with flashing lights. The lights indicate that students are boarding or leaving the bus, increasing the likelihood of kids crossing the street or running unexpectedly.
What Is The School Zone Speed Limit In Ontario?
The school zone speed limit in Ontario ranges from 30km/hr to 40km/hr. These speed limits are in effect during school hours, which start from 8 AM to 5 PM and are indicated by the lights of the flashing school zone sign.
School Zone Speed Limit Fines
The amount of fines drivers are charged after going over Ontario’s school zone speed limit varies based on their speed. The table below shows how much one can expect to pay if they’ve ignored or missed the school zone time limit.
| Kilometres Over The Limit | Ticket Cost | Number of Demerit Points |
| 10 km | $95 | 0 |
| 20 km | $180 | 3 |
| 30 km | $450 | 4 |
| 40 km | $595 | 4 |
School Bus Rules In Ontario
Drivers in Ontario are required to come to a stop if they see a school bus with flashing lights. The flashing lights indicate that children are either getting on or leaving the bus. So, you must stop driving to ensure the safety of the students who may be crossing the road, even if they cross mistakenly.
If your road has a medium centre divider, only the direction that can see the “Stop For School Bus” sign is required to stop for the bus. However, if you’re on a highway without a medium centre divider, it’s necessary for vehicles in both directions to come to a stop.
Only continue driving past a school bus when its red signal lights have stopped flashing. Failure to follow school bus rules in Ontario can lead to fines ranging from $400 to $2,000 and can give you 6 demerit points for the first offence.
For each subsequent offence, you can be charged up to $4,000 and a possible jail sentence of up to 6 months.
When Are School Zone Rules In Effect In Ontario?
In Ontario, school zone rules are in effect from 8 AM to 5 PM. However, it’s still recommended to stay within the school zone speed limit for an hour or two before and after they officially come into effect. After all, not all students enter or leave the school grounds exactly on time.
FAQs
The speed limit in the school zone in Toronto ranges from 30km/hr to 40km/hr. Always remember to watch out for the specific speed limit and other traffic signs in the school zone you’ll be passing through to avoid getting fined.
Yes, you have to stop at a crosswalk in Ontario if pedestrians are crossing the road. This law applies to both drivers and cyclists. Failure to comply can get you liable for hundreds of dollars of fines.
Ontario is the only province where the rules of the road don’t apply to private properties. Hence, there’s no standard speed limit inside a parking lot in the province. It’s not too uncommon, though, for parking lots to set their own specific speed limits they want parked cars to follow.
There’s no standard distance between a school and a school zone in Ontario. So, it’s highly recommended to pay close attention to traffic signs and ensure you follow the school zone rules in the province.
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