Brian Douglas: Hidden dangers in the School run

Back in the 50s and 60s when I was at school in the UK like all other children I walked to school until later on when I was adolescent age and had my first bicycle. We were taught pedestrian safety both by our parents and at school also from an early age. No matter what the weather the often long walk to school had its advantages as helped keep us fit and healthy. I don’t think we caught anymore colds than today’s children do.

Today though the situation has changed in many family homes across Europe. Even here in northeast Romania I see Mothers dropping their children off at the school gates daily. Likewise they wait at the school entrance for their loved child to come out, jump in the car and are away to home again! Many Mothers have part time work and coincide this with dropping their child off at school, but there can and have been problems with this as all too often are dangers.

Even the rural school in any morning just before 8am in Romania can have a number of parents dropping their child off at school, many in a rush themselves to go to work! On the other hand a lot of rural children haven’t a family vehicle though and walk to and from school. Here as children are children one can see many times groups of children on the roadside near the school and they are often not paying particular attention to the vehicles around them, many rather with heads down on the social apps on their mobile phones or simply talking with colleges as they walk along.

The danger appears at the school gates both at drop off and pick up time. Parents who drop their children off all too often specially when it raining will get so close to the school gate that they actually block the entrance to other children and with other cars dropping their children off also

parking often haywire on both sides of the road all doing the same there is immediate traffic congestion for other road users and for the other children arriving at school on foot as well. The same applies at pick up time and is more dangerous as children of all ages rush out of the school gates in groups and simply have to move often in between vehicles parked awaiting other children. A child smiles as he enters his Mothers car and then the car moves off right as children are moving past front and back and accidents do happen this way. Any car accelerating even at low speed can easily crush a child if it falls under the vehicle and cause very serious injury.

The answer is not to stop parents dropping their children off at school of course, though if they let their child walk the child would feel healthier overall!

A solution is to have no parking lines for say 200 meters each side of the school entrance and on each side of the road. No parking lines also on the off side of the road to allow at all times a clear band of road for other vehicle users.

After all if a parent can get their child in safety to within 200 meters of the school gate and in doing so lessen dangers to all other children and passing vehicles as well then I am certain any responsible parent would agree this was the way to act and would not complain.

Schools also have a part to play and should encourage children to walk to school in an effort to drop the high levels of obesity we see in children in Europe today. Half an hours exercise walking is so good for the human body at all ages and specially growing children. Many when home sit in the house and play TV games or are on the computer thus a good walk to and from school is vital to these children health quite apart from any sports lessons at school they may have participated in.

By

Brian Douglas

17^th March 2018.

Brian Douglas is a British born Humanitarian aid worker living in Romania and with over 24 years experience in social problems in Eastern Europe. In 2017 Brian was awarded a Person of the Year award by the British News agency 247 World press.