New Zealand’s youngest road safety heroes gearing up for busy season as March Madness kicks in
3 March 2026
Wielding the power of the ‘lollipop’ signs, over 20,000 Kiwi school kids are making our roads safer during the busiest period of traffic congestion in New Zealand.
The term coined ‘March Madness’ relates to the time of year when the majority of people have returned to work, alongside schools and universities, creating gridlock on roads across Auckland during peak hours.
Student-led crossing patrols were first introduced in the 1930s to help kids safely cross the road using mobile stop signs, following increasing concern of accidents involving child pedestrians.
AA road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen says school drop-off and pick-up can be the busiest time on the road, even more so during March Madness which Auckland Transport expects to bring a 6.7% increase to average road congestion levels.
“It’s outstanding to see kids stepping up for their friends and community and instilling good road safety habits from such a young age. If not for these kids, the chances of people getting hurt would be so much greater.”
The AA’s 2025 local transport survey revealed 1 in 3 AA Members are walking more as a form of transportation, as well as cycling which has seen a 43% jump among cyclists.
Police Senior Constable and School Community Officer Gordon Campbell says this is great to see as walking is one of the safest ways to get kids to school and reduces congestion in the road network.
“Drop off and pick up times bring a huge number of cars, buses, bikes, scooters, and pedestrians to the roads near schools. Parked cars create additional blind spots making it even harder to see small kids, so reducing that congestion can significantly improve visibility for the patrollers and pedestrians.
“We encourage parents who need to drive to park further away and walk their kids in, preventing traffic backlogs near school gates.
“Make sure you are using the crossings too, don’t be setting bad examples to your children!”
Today, more than 20,000 students each year volunteer to take part in school traffic safety patrols at over 1200 crossings throughout New Zealand.
The patrols run through wind, rain or shine, and the AA supplies official crossing patroller high vis vests and raincoats for kids to carry out their duties.
Dylan says wearing a high vis uniform is essential for young patrollers to be easily seen and identified. It also gives them the confidence to manage crossings.
“It’s not always easy standing up to grownups! What adults might not realise is these kids have the legal authority to stop the traffic with their crossing signs.
“Don’t let March Madness get to you; slow down near schools, be on high alert for hazards, and prepare to stop at crossings.
“No one wants to see their child hurt on their journey to or from school. It takes a team effort to ensure everyone’s safety and the AA is proud to back our youngest road safety heroes.”