Is walking to school dangerous?

How did your child get to and from school today?

Chances are it was by either car or bus.

There was a time when most children either walked to school, or cycled. Now fewer than half of our children walk to school. Living Streets is one of the action groups that wants to reverse the decline.

October is International Walk to School Month.

As Monday is the first day of October, is it possible to organise something this weekend, if you haven’t already, so more children can walk to school?

Is walking to school dangerous?

Yes, there are dangers.

• Roads are busy, and accidents happen.
• Children can be lost, taken or worse.
• Friends in a group are more likely to get into trouble.
• It can be hard to get away from a bully.

But is fear the real reason children don’t walk to school?

If we’re honest, probably more and more children get transport into school because it’s easier.

• Parents are rushed in the morning, have work to go to, and simply don’t have time.
• In the afternoon, parents are still working and it’s hard to keep asking family to help out.
• Children get tired, don’t want to walk, complain a lot, and are likely to be late.
• For some families it’s too far.
• And in England it’s always raining.

Yes, it takes more planning to get children to walk to school. Often it means getting up earlier, having to carry extra shoes because of rain, and it all takes more time.

But this month of October is a good time to try walking to school, to see if it can work out for you as a family.

If we ask ourselves, “Is walking to school dangerous?”
The answer is: “It’s not walking to school that’s dangerous.”

There’s a lot in the media these days about childhood obesity. Consequently, younger people are developing type 2 diabetes.  Nowadays many young people are not getting the exercise they need to develop healthy, strong bodies.

Why is it good to walk to school?

• Children need exercise. The NHS recommends that children between 5 and 16 should get one hour of exercise every day.
• The environment benefits too!

Tips to keep kids safe on the roads:

Is walking to school dangerous? With care, it doesn’t have to be.

• Know the highway code for pedestrians.
• Be sure to carry or wear something reflective or high vis.
• Plan a safe route.
• Know danger spots.
• Always pay attention to other road users.
• Never listen to music or talk on your mobile.
• Young children should be responsibly accompanied.
• The NSPCC guide offers tips and information

At SpaDental we’re especially interested in the health of our young patients.

We believe that if children stay fit and healthy, they’ll also have great teeth!

SpaDental Plymouth and SpaDental Whitchurch are registering children as new NHS patients, in support of government initiatives to improve the dental health of children.

Further reading:

• Living Streets wants to reverse the decline and offers great tips and information.
• Bike to School?
• Increasing number of children have type 2 diabetes
• Healthy children become healthy adults
• Knocked out tooth? What do I do?
• Use a gum shield

And a health boost for parents?

• Why not try Sober October?

Useful Links & Information