Keep your eyes on the road - ADAC: Training for safe school routes before the end of the holidays
ADAC recommends that parents of the new first-graders in North Rhine-Westphalia use the last summer holidays to practice the school route. "It's best for parents to walk the school route with their children several times under real conditions - that is, on weekdays in the morning and at noon," advises the mobility expert of ADAC, Roman Suthold. Around 175,000 girls and boys will go to school for the first time in NRW on August 21 and 22.
Praise instead of constant nagging
Parents should take enough time and discuss dangerous spots at crossings or street crossings in detail - without frightening them, Suthold emphasized. "It's important that parents don't constantly nag and scold their children, but praise them when they've done something right." A route with as few dangerous spots as possible is also preferable, even if it means taking a small detour. "The shortest route is not always the safest," Suthold warned.
ADAC appeals to schools to support parents with current school route plans. According to an ADAC survey, only 18 percent of parents had such a plan last year, although most said they would like to use such an orientation aid.
Visibility on the school route is also important: "With reflectors on the school bag and clothing or a safety vest, children can be seen up to 140 meters away even in poor visibility," explained Suthold. "For comparison: In dark clothing, children are only noticed from a distance of 25 meters."
Chaos with "parent taxis" - no sense of traffic from the back seat
If the new students are traveling part or all of the way by school bus or public transportation, these routes should also be practiced with the child beforehand.
ADAC advises against driving to the school gate by car. "Parent taxis often cause chaotic and dangerous situations in front of schools," warned Suthold.
According to an ADAC survey, 41 percent of parents who drop off their children by car in front of the school agree with this. They do it mainly because of connecting appointments, bad weather, because it's on the way, or because it's faster.
The disadvantage from ADAC's point of view: "The children, as passive participants in the back seat, don't get a sense of road traffic and its dangers," the expert explained.
ADAC strongly encourages schools to collaborate with parents by providing updated school route plans, as only 18% of parents had this assistance last year despite expressing interest. Additionally, ADAC encourages parents to follow the advice of Roman Suthold, their mobility expert, who suggests using reflectors or safety vests to increase children's visibility on the school route, enabling them to be seen up to 140 meters away in poor visibility, while in dark clothing, they are only noticeable from 25 meters away.
