Video shows why children stopped walking to school and it's a trend that must end

The reasons parents prefer public transport or private vehicles to send their kids to school are mostly valid.

UPDATED DEC 23, 2024

Students leaving for their school in the morning. (Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels| Yan Krukau)

Walking back from school with friends used to be the time when several childhood memories were created, but while parents enjoyed walking their kids to school, many of them have switched to public transport or private vehicles. Researchers from the University of Michigan discovered that one of the major reasons for this is the safety of kids, according to Science Daily. However, other factors have contributed to this surprising drop in the number of kids walking to school.

Children walking to school. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Max Fischer)

Uytae Lee, host of the YouTube page “About Here” shared some insight on the topic. Sharing some statistics, he mentioned that from the 1960s to the present the percentage of kids walking or cycling to school dropped from 48 to 11. He also noted that this isn't just the case in the US but also in Australia, England and other countries. “At first, I thought the obvious answer was - children are living too far from schools. American cities saw the growth of suburbs sprawling cul-de-sacs where you have to drive to get anywhere,” Lee remarked. However, after looking closely, the man pointed out that even kids who lived within walking distance of their schools were using vehicles.

Two girls rushing to their school. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Mary Taylor

“The reasons are a bit more complicated but let's start with road safety,” Lee mentioned. The man highlighted that parents being worried about kids' safety while walking to school is a valid reason. He also shared studies that revealed how kids who walked or cycled to school were 4.5 times more likely to be injured than those using vehicles. Lee suggested that the only possible solution for this is to build better infrastructure like roadwalks and vehicle guidelines. “There are also concerns about strangers, bullies, kidnappers and other characters you hear about on the news,” Lee mentioned. There has been a rise in violence taking place on the streets over the years and parents feel it's safer for their kids to get to school in vehicles instead of walking.

Kids playing inside a school. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Ron Lach)

Lee noted that parenting expectations as well as the functioning of the country have changed over the years and overall using vehicles irrespective of how close in proximity a child is to their school, seems like a plausible option. He added another point that since most parents are working and have rigid schedules, it is easier for them to simply drop their kids off at school on the way to work. “A study in Toronto found that flexible working hours could play a more significant role can road safety concerns and convince parents to walk their kids to school,” he said.

An overview of highways in a city. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Deva Darshan)

Towards the end of his video, Lee mentioned that it is sensible only for collective action to be taken to reduce the risk and inconvenience involved in kids walking to school so that they can enjoy going to school like the good old days. “We can start by improving road safety, crosswalks and intersections along school walking routes,” he suggested. He also added that helping parents feel confident that their kids are just as safe walking as they are in vehicles will make a big difference.

This article originally appeared 3 months ago.