Safety

The promotion of bicycling and walking to school provides an opportunity to address safety. Every year, about 25,000 child pedestrians are injured by motor vehicles. Reducing the risk of injury includes teaching children pedestrian and bicycle skills. It also means reminding drivers to watch for others using the road. Hazardous conditions along routes to school need to be identified and fixed.

Some of the best ways to increase the safety of a child's walk or bike to school are to:

The "Four E's"

Consider the range of tools available to address safety.

Education.
Programs used to teach children safe walking behaviors, such as proper crossing at crosswalks, and adults safe driving behaviors.
Encouragement.
Any efforts to encourage safe, healthy, regular walking, such as special events, announcements, public relations, and incentive programs.
Enforcement.
Efforts by law enforcement to aggressively enforce posted speeds and traffic laws to create safer driving habits; often used in neighborhoods and near schools.
Engineering.
The design and building of facilities – roadways, sidewalks, lighting, signs – to enhance the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. Includes, for example, traffic calming methods.

Parents and other adults worry about children encountering bullies or strangers on the way to school. There may be a fear of kidnapping or assault. While the actual occurrences are extremely rare, consideration should be taken to address parent fears and create a plan to reduce risk. Parent accompaniment of children on the walk to school is one way to solve this concern. Some communities use walking school buses as a way to have an adult presence on the street.

The promotion of safe walking and biking to school addresses the risks described here. When there are more adults and children walking and biking on the road, the community becomes accustomed to their presence.