An Auckland primary school's safe driving scare tactics in issuing a newsletter to parents falsely advising that a child had been run over and killed outside school has sent shock waves through the local community.
Shelly Park School in east Auckland was apparently trying to discourage parents from stopping their cars on yellow lines or other dangerous manoeuvres when picking up and dropping off children.
The newsletter on Tuesday was headed 'Fatal Accident at Shelly Park' and told parents "a child was accidentally run over and killed outside the school this afternoon".
According to the newsletter, show on TVNZ1's Seven Sharp tonight, "he ran out between two cars stopped on yellow lines" and "his inconsolable mother was also illegally stopped".
The accident would have been a tragic situation, except it never happened. The newsletter was pure scare tactics aimed at parents apparently causing havoc at pick-up time.
"People get really agitated, and they double park and leave their cars," a woman outside the school told Seven Sharp.
She said she could "kind of believe" the accident happened "with all the aggression, and specially with the heat now. I don't think that's really cool to scare monger like that." But she said she could understand where the school was coming from.
“Spreading a fake story is not the way to go
A man outside the school said pick-up time "can get kind of frustrating and stressful. I can see people not driving the best at those times."
He said the newsletter's false announcement "sounds a little sensational, I guess".
Another man outside school said: "I think it's a little unethical to send out a notice like that."
And a woman declared: "Spreading a fake story is not the way to go."
Seven Sharp presenter Hilary Barry said she agreed with those parents and schools should not be putting out fake news.
"It's like the cops putting out fake news, hospitals, doctors putting out fake news," she said.
Co-host Matty McLean said the school clearly has a big problem with driver behaviour and if the newsletter "stops parents form doing really dangerous tactics outside the school gates, and it stops a kid from dying, I'm all for it".
Barry said it was "not good" that the newsletter never specifically stated that the fatal incident didn't happen.
SHARE ME