Would you be surprised to find out that the most dangerous place your student goes might just be the school parking lot? Statistically, the school drop-off and pick-up periods (roughly 7–8 a.m. and 3–4 p.m.) are the most dangerous times of the day for child pedestrians. School pick-up and drop-off zones are designed to get students to and from school in a safe and timely manner, but this area can easily become congested with motorists and pedestrians, creating significant safety hazards.
According to the National Traffic and Highway Safety Association (NHTSA), an average of 108 people are killed in school-transportation-related collisions every year, with school-aged children accounting for nearly 20% of these deaths. Crashes in school safety zones are three times more common during drop-off and pick-up hours than at any other time of the school day. In fact, a study from Safe Kids Worldwide found that one in three drivers engage in unsafe behavior in school zones, such as double-parking, blocking crosswalks, or letting children out in the middle of a lane.
Safety in Numbers
For a number of reasons parents often feel safer driving their kids to school rather than letting them walk or bike. This creates quite a paradox: to keep our kids safe from the traffic around their school, we feel compelled to drive them. However, the danger of the school zone is the sheer volume of cars driving on the streets around our schools.
By shifting even a small percentage of families toward walking or biking, we don’t just reduce the traffic jams around our schools, we fundamentally change the physics of the school environment. Every child on a bike or a sidewalk is one less vehicle navigating a blind spot, one less car idling in a congested lane, and one more reason for drivers to stay alert. Ultimately, we don’t make the commute safer by adding more cars to the line, we make it safer by removing them.
“Ultimately, we don’t make the commute safer by adding more cars to the line, we make it safer by removing them.”
The concept of “safety in numbers” suggests that as the number of school children walking or biking to school increases, the individual risk of being involved in a collision actually decreases. This happens primarily because seeing more pedestrians and cyclists forces a psychological shift for motorists. When drivers encounter more “active commuters” they learn to expect them. This causes them to drive more predictably and they naturally reduce their speeds. This creates a positive cycle where more students walking and biking improves safety, which encourages more kids to walk and bike.
The Walking School Bus
One way to encourage walking and biking to school is by creating a walking school bus for each neighborhood. A Walking School Bus is a simple yet very effective concept: a group of students walks to school together along a fixed route, led by adult volunteers (usually parents or other adults) who “pick up” children at designated “bus stops” or homes. This model increases safety by providing constant adult supervision, which keeps kids safer and makes parents feel better about letting their kids walk or bike. In fact, walking with an adult has been shown to decrease a child’s pedestrian risk by nearly 70%.
Beyond the direct supervision that is provided, the visual presence of a larger group creates the “safety in numbers” effect that makes children more visible to motorists, naturally prompting drivers to slow down and stay more alert. Additionally, the walking school bus acts as a mobile classroom where children learn and practice essential road-safety skills, such as looking left-right-left and crossing only at designated intersections, in a real-world, supervised setting. By replacing individual car trips with neighborhood walking groups, these programs also reduce the dangerous traffic congestion that typically plagues school drop-off zones.
Creating a Walking School Bus doesn’t require a budget, but it does require consistency and a clear structure to ensure parents feel confident handing over their children’s commute to the group. Here are some basic steps to setting up a walking school bus for your neighborhood:
- Identify the adults. You will need at least two committed adults per group to ensure there is always a “Driver” and a “Sweeper” (someone at the front and someone at the back).
- Map the route and bus stops. Walk the potential route yourself. Look for continuous sidewalks, well-marked crosswalks, and intersections with crossing guards. Choose three to five “bus stops” (usually specific corners or driveway landmarks) where students can wait for the group at a specific time.
- Create a time table. A Walking School Bus must be as predictable as a motorized one. Set a strict time for the bus to leave the first stop. Usually, the “bus” waits no longer than 1–2 minutes at any stop to ensure students arrive at school before the first bell.
- Set safety rules. Students must stay between the lead and sweep adults, walk (never run), and stop at all curbs. Best practice is to have the adult leaders wear high-visibility vests. Some programs also provide reflective tags for the children’s backpacks.
- It’s go time. Start with a “Pilot Week” to work out the kinks. Make the first day a celebration with stickers or healthy snacks to get the kids excited. After the first week, check in with the volunteers. Is the pace too fast? Is a particular intersection too busy? Adjust the route or timing as needed.
Ultimately, the walking school bus is more than just a morning commute. It is a strategic solution to the dangers of the school zone. By increasing the number of kids who can safely walk or bike to school, we can create a powerful feedback loop where reduced traffic leads to calmer streets, which in turn fosters an environment where walking and biking are no longer seen as “risky” but as the safest, most efficient option available.
Additional Resources:
The Walking School Bus: Combining Safety, Fun, and the Walk to School. The National Center for Safe Routes to School & Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (2006). http://guide.saferoutesinfo.org/pdf/wsb_guide.pdf
How to Start a Walking School Bus at Your School? The Safe Routes Partnership and California Department of Public Health. https://saferoutespartnership.org/resource/step-step/