Burnaby, British Columbia – Changing the way children get to and from school this year can help ease stress and congestion around schools, according to the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) Traffic Safety Foundation.
Walking or cycling is probably the easiest and safest when children travel with a buddy and use a safe, familiar route. Parents or older siblings can take turns accompanying a group of children to and from school, taking the opportunity to set a good example and teach children safe pedestrian, cycling, and traffic practices and attitudes.
Driving children to and from school every day can have a serious environmental effect on their lives; the pollution caused by idling vehicles causes health problems, and the congestion of cars in school zones creates an environment where children can be seriously injured or killed.
“The biggest risk to children in school zones is still those parents, and there are many, who continue to make U-turns, stop in no-stopping zones, back up into crosswalks, roll through stop signs, ignore the school safety patrollers, let their children out from the driver’s side and into oncoming traffic, and speed,” said Linda Lawlor, School Safety Patrol Program Coordinator. “Most child pedestrian-related injuries occur in September and October, followed by May and June, and children aged five to 14 years are at the greatest risk for pedestrian-related fatalities.”
In many B.C. communities, the School Safety Patrol Program is sponsored by the BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation. For more information, visit School Safety Patrol.
