Changing Behaviour
The need for change
Why have car journeys to school doubled in the last 10 years?
- Increased traffic on our roads
- Parents choosing schools other than the one nearest to them
- Widespread ownership of cars
- Lifestyles in which parents drive to work
- Lifestyles which impose tight deadlines on parents
- Parents increased fear of strangers
- Increased cost of bus travel
Why we need alternatives to the school run.
Allowing children to walk, cycle or take public transport to school
can:
- Reduce the number of vehicles on the road
- Increase children's independence
- Enable parents to be less restrictive, helping children gain self-confidence and learn skills
- Help with personal and social development of children
- Educate children on road safety and traffic awareness as a pedestrian/cyclists/public transport user
- Avoid the development of travel habits that are bad for their health and the environment
- Reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes in later life
- Help children control their weight
- Prevent diabetes
- Improve bone health
- Enhance well-being
- Helps social development
- Encourage active lifestyles at an early age and develop the exercise habit
- Improve concentration in class - so say 90% of teachers surveyed across England & Wales
By driving children to school every day,
a habit is formed early and they can become accustomised to using the car for even the shortest journey.
Safety First
The best way to teach children safe behaviour around roads is acknowledged
to be a practical approach using the child's own local area. This is very labour intensive and needs
a high ratio of adults to children. Adults are perfectly capable of teaching children how to be safe
and sensible pedestrians but most will need special training in order to understand the specific road
safety issues better.
