School Zones are not changing to 24/7 on July 1

You might’ve seen chatter online about School Zones being enforced 24 hours a day from July 1.

But the BC Highway Patrol says that’s just plainly untrue.

“Online rumours and Artificial Intelligence (AI) aside, Canadian school zones are not changing on July 1, 2025,” the RCMP unit said in a statement on Thursday.

“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.”

According to the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act, “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.”

To help stop the spread of misinformation, the Highway Patrol is sharing some tips to help decipher between fact and fiction. The unit says:

• 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.

The BC Highway Patrol suggests contacting ICBC or the BC Ministry of Transportation if drivers have any questions or concerns regarding updates to any traffic laws.