Travel to school – Walk, Drive, or Bike

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Some things to think about before choosing a means of transportation for getting to school:

• 90% of the traffic at a school is from parents dropping off students.  If more students were walking or biking to school rather than being driven, traffic around schools would dramatically drop and make it safer.
• Studies show students with a half hour of exercise before school are more attentive during school and are able to focus better than students who do not.  If a child has to be driven, perhaps finding a place to be dropped off and walking a few blocks would be better than being dropped off at the front of school (less traffic around too!)
• The US Dept. of Health recommends children have 60 minutes of exercise a day.  A good portion of that amount can likely be covered when a child walks or bikes to school and back home.
• Students who have been walking or biking to school from grade K-10 are better drivers when they get their automobile license than those who have not.  The walking/biking students have been learning the ways of the road for many years and understand street patterns when they finally learn to drive.
• Middle school students start becoming more independent from their parents and want more social time with their peers.  Walking/Biking in groups to and from school helps foster their emotional development.

Teaching children safe ways to travel on their own in our neighborhood lasts a life time.  Driving them only lasts a trip.