-----Original Message-----
From: Universities Transport Study Group [mailto:UTSG@...] On Behalf
Of Anzir Boodoo
Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2005 2:30 AM
To: UTSG@...
Subject: Re: [UTSG] Kids safer going to school outside the car

Dave,
On 3 Aug 2005, at 23:56, Tramsol@... wrote:

I recall some work - possibly Australian - which showed that there were greater
risks for kids taken to school in cars - through a number of factors including -
lack of supervision and security ("its only a short school run no need for seat
belts" can fit 6 kids in my 5 seat saloon etc), and stressed driver (get
everyone through breakfast drop breadwinner A at the station rush to the school
drop kid B and then take kid C to nursery before rushing to the part time job
which just about pays to keep Kid C in nursery etc). Combine this with many
schools which still have inherently dangerous arrangements for mixed flows of
kids, teachers cars, delivery vehicles and parents cars all circulating in the
same areas and it seems a logical outcome that the kids taken to school in the
cars are in greatest danger, as well as posing greatest danger to those not in
cars.
*****************************************************************

But it's what people *believe* that matters, not the facts...

...such as TV presenter Davina McCall being interviewed on Sunday,
claiming she bought a Range Rover because her children would be safer
in it than in a saloon car, something which is in fact an urban myth,
and not borne out by the Euro NCAP safety ratings. However, because
of such people saying such things on TV, and the *perception* that
big 4x4s are safer, people will believe it.

The same thing is true of walking to school v going by car - many
people *believe* going by car is safer, and perpetrate the myths.

This street in Bracknell is a cul de sac with a school on it, built
as part of a New Town neighbourhood (ie designed to be easily
walkable). The volume of school traffic has caused the emergency
services to complain that if a life threatening incident did occur
during the school run period, this street, and the streets near it
would be inaccessible to an ambulance or fire engine. It is widely
believed on this street that there is more chance of someone dying
because the emergency services can't reach them than because of
children walking to school.

Now when I was at school there a mere 20 years ago, we used to have
huge numbers of schoolkids walking down the road in both directions
(up the hill to the primary school, down the hill and through the
alleyways to the secondary school). Of course, back then, all the
pupils lived nearby because there wasn't the ridiculous "school
choice" system which means kids from the next town can come to our
primary school and clog up our roads. Of course we didn't have so
many 3 and 4 car households then either...

--
Anzir Boodoo MRes MILT Aff. IRO
transcience, Leeds Innovation Centre, 103 Clarendon Road, LEEDS LS2 9DF