Cars double parked, people carriers jutting out at awkward angles or abandoned close to junctions and four-wheel drives carelessly left on the zigzag markings close to the school gates - the picture is the same outside almost every primary school in Ipswich.

Ipswich Star: Park Smart campaignPark Smart campaign (Image: Archant)

But in their desperate scramble to park as close to the school gates as possible, these parents are putting your child’s life at risk.

Clogging up pavements and blocking the roads outside the school gates creates a dangerous situation for everyone - pupils, siblings and even parents.

We are just a matter of weeks into the new school year and already we have seen two serious accidents outside schools in Ipswich.

On Friday, a boy was injured in a collision with a car close to Cliff Lane Primary School and on Wednesday, September 17 a four-year-old girl was injured in an accident in Ellenbrook Road, close to Gusford Primary School. Both accidents happened at around 8.40am, just as pupils were filing into the playground.

Ipswich Star: Cars parked outside Broke Hall Primary School.Cars parked outside Broke Hall Primary School. (Image: Archant)

Today the Ipswich Star calls on parents to help us improve safety outside our schools.

We are launching the Park Smart campaign to raise awareness of the dangerous and potentially fatal situations that parents are creating in the roads surrounding our primary school, to highlight the steps some schools have taken to improve safety and to prevent further accidents.

Last week Jane Needle, headteacher of Cliff Lane Primary School said that parking was a “constant concern,” and called for more to be done to educate parents.

She added: “A lot of people are out and about. If people don’t think where they park there could be an accident. There are signs that say you can’t park here.”

Ipswich Star: PCSO John Hood is a visible presence outside Cliff Lane School to encourage parents to park sensiblyPCSO John Hood is a visible presence outside Cliff Lane School to encourage parents to park sensibly

Horrified by the complete disregard some parents show for road safety outside Broke Hall Primary, mum Wendy Kingsbury, said: “There is a scramble to park as close as possible to the school gates.

Road safety, parking legally and consideration to all pedestrians goes out the window because whilst their child is safe inside their car, they don’t see the 600 or so other children making their way into school and the consequences if they cause an accident.

“Parents park on zig zag lines, on yellow lines, on bends where children try to cross and on the pavement rather than parking safely in a side road and walking the last few minutes into school.

Ipswich Star: PCSO John Hood is a visible presence outside Cliff Lane School to encourage parents to park sensiblyPCSO John Hood is a visible presence outside Cliff Lane School to encourage parents to park sensibly

“Then once their child has been dropped off these same inconsiderate parents speed off not taking a backwards glance at other mums with toddlers still attempting to cross the road.”

As part of our campaign, we are calling on parents to report cases of poor parking outside the gates, so we can catch the culprits in action and share their photos with readers to highlight the dangers.

If you are concerned about road safety at your child’s school, complete our online form and let us know which school we should visit next Join the debate on Twitter using #SchoolParking