Private schools have different holidays to public schools, right? Does that mean when driving past a private school you need to know specifically if that school is on holiday or not? Or is it all done only on the public school terms?
And how does the answer to that question interact with places like Lambert Road, Indooroopilly, where there’s a public school on one side and a private school on the other?
(Note: “just look for the flashing lights” is not a helpful answer. Those are a useful aid, but not legally binding. “The light was not flashing” is not actually a legal defence to a charge of speeding in a school zone.)
How does it work for any school? I don’t have kids, buggered if I know when school holidays are or aren’t - private or public.
You know. There’s a shitload more kids everywhere and traffic goes to hell
Just for a laugh, I did a search, and this is the first link that popped up.
In big red font it says:
Private/non-government school holidays often vary from state/government school holidays.
There is no definitive set of school holiday dates that applies to every private school.
Please check with each individual school for accurate dates.
So pretty much what I am getting from this; where ever you plan to travel, the onus is on you to plan out and check with every private school that is on your path to your destination.
What a pain in the arse. If private schools get to deviate their holidays from public schools, shouldn’t they be the ones to be informing the general public?
https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/rules/schools/school-zone-speed-limits-and-signs
In short: if you don’t know if it’s an “active” school zone or not… assume it is and just slow down. General sentiment with many road rules is “ignorance is not an excuse” and that’s what applies here.
In practice, most patrol officers would probably exercise some discretion (e.g.: were there lots of children around? Was the school visibly “open” in an obvious way?). If the school looked “closed” they might be lenient. But technically, they could legally pin you if they wanted to.
If you were to appeal it, you might be able to argue your case on mitigating circumstances. You’re entitled to your day in court if you feel you’ve been treated unfairly.
But again, the default position is “ignorance is not an excuse”, and if you’re operating a vehicle that can kill someone, your responsibility is to err on the side of caution.
How everything works with private schools ?
Money.
