A slow car in a playground zone
School / Playground zones · Alberta Class 5 road test
Don't pass the slow car ahead; follow it to the End sign
Watch the interactive demoHow to drive it
40 km/h neighbourhood street with no centre line, the view following your car: arriving at 37 km/h + brake lightly before the Start sign, 25–30 km/h when the front reaches it + in the zone, a car ahead doing only 20 + no signalling, no pulling out: keep a following distance and follow it at 20 + when the rear passes the End sign, it's still ahead of you
Common mistakes
Passed using the oncoming lane
Road test: automatic fail — L6 Other violation
In the playground zone you used the oncoming lane to pass a car doing 20 km/h. While a school or playground zone is in effect you may not pass any vehicle going the same way, however slow it is: if the car ahead does 20, you do 20. Pulling into the oncoming side to pass is illegal passing even without speeding, signalling or checking your mirror, an automatic fail on the road test; and with a 30 km/h limit, passing a car doing 20 means driving side by side for over a hundred metres, so there's nothing to gain.
Watch this mistake →Related scenarios
- Through a playground zoneSlow down before the sign, maintain 25–30 km/h in the zone, speed up only once the rear has passed the End sign
- A playground zone across an intersectionEnter the zone on the side road; after turning left onto the main road, still maintain 25–30 km/h until the End sign
- A pedestrian crossing in a school zoneA child is crossing: stop before the crosswalk and wait until they reach the other side