The children are still on vacation. But the new school-goers and those who change schools in a few days should already train their new way, experts advise. Even those who have practiced the way by bus and train, comes the first time relaxed in the new school year. In 2018, 117 children died in traffic accidents in Bielefeld - the highest figure in the past five years.
The police not only appeals to all parents to train the new way to school on time and several times - "even if your child is already very independent," said the traffic safety adviser to the police. says a police expert: "This is especially the positive role model of adults required so that children do not copy the misconduct of others."
Experts at the ADAC advise: "Depending on the route, five to ten units are necessary to internalize all the dangers." The training should also take place at school. "The weekend is due to the low traffic at most as a beginner's training," said the police.
Children usually take good care of adults, which is why many parents overestimate their abilities, says Verkehrswacht. "But children are not 'small adults', they react spontaneously and their behavior is hardly calculable." All experts, recommend: "Target your children specifically to particularities or danger areas and show them how to handle the dangers well. " But which are they? Above all, the correct crossing of the road should be practiced especially intensively. Because children cannot yet estimate velocities of cars well. They have a smaller field of view and cannot yet locate the sounds of their environment well.
Even parked cars on the roadside are a real danger. "Adults should squat more often to experience the obstruction of the little ones. These include hedges and garbage cans.
WHICH ROUTE?
The shortest route is not always the safest, says the ADAC. Often, small detours leading to traffic lights and pedestrian crossings make more sense. The city has worked out the best way plans for all elementary schools. They usually lead directly to intersections, which promise by traffic lights the greatest security.
GET UP EARLY!
Haste increases the risk of accidents in traffic. Who gets up early and is well-rested, so it is safer. Primary school children need much more time to cross a road, for instance: "While adults can walk along the sidewalk in one process, locate sounds and scan the two lanes for cars, elementary school children can only do one after the other", emphasizes road safety adviser Dunja Winkler from the police.
FROM WHEN ALONE?
The police advise to accompany the students in the first days. Nevertheless, one should encourage the independence of the students and let them go part of the route alone. "Follow your child unnoticed at first," advises the Verkehrswacht. "Only when the children think they are unobserved can one determine whether they stick to the agreements." Often the concentration decreases rapidly when other children join. Many parents organize "walking buses" with several students, who take turns accompanying them.
The police strongly advise against bringing children to school by car. So that accidents like those in Mönchengladbach cannot happen, many schools have long set up parental detention centers that are located away from the school building and therefore safer.
The renunciation of the parent taxi is not just about the dangers of parking and getting out. Scientific studies show that children who are brought by car, move much more dependent on the road. They hardly learn to estimate distances and recognize dangers. So they are much more at risk of being involved in an accident.
The police recommend: "Children should first take the bicycle exam during primary school and then cycle to school." The bike test usually takes place in the 3rd or 4th grade. Who sends his child to school by bike, should be regularly around Taking care of the perfect technical condition of the bike, including a bicycle helmet of suitable size.
Those who attend secondary school often have to travel to school by public transport for the first time. Therefore, also for fifth graders, a training recommendation: Both the correct behavior at stops as well as the ride itself should be practiced. The transport association "OWL Verkehr" offers the free "ElternKindTicket" for buses and trains.
VISIBLE IN THE DARK
After the summer, parents can easily increase the safety of the students by adding reflective materials to their clothing or by using safety vests. When it's dark in the morning, neon colors and reflectors are important lifesavers in the traffic.
