Key Messages For Parents
In relation to Safe Routes to School (SRTS), parents play a role in their child's safety in three ways:
- As teachers of safety behaviors.
- As drivers on the school campus during drop-off and pick-up times.
- As drivers near the school.
Different messages apply to parents for each of these roles:
1. Parents as teachers
Practice safe walking and bicycling with your child. Parents teach and model safe behavior for their children. Children have the best chance of retaining and applying walking and bicycling skills if they have a chance to practice them with supervision and reinforcement. It is similar to the need to teach teens to drive — new drivers are not expected to have the skills or knowledge to drive safely without receiving instruction.
Parents need detailed information about proper safety practices specific for their child's age. Most parents naturally want to do what is best for their child and need to be aware of the appropriate safety messages to share with their child. An informed and interested parent can identify safe walking and bicycling routes for their child, teach their child rules as they walk or bicycle, and model safe behavior themselves. See Key Messages for Children for more information.
Passing out educational flyers to drivers.
2. Parents as drivers on the school campus during drop-off and pick-up times
Follow correct drop-off and pick-up procedure if driving to the school is necessary. Drivers need to know the appropriate locations for pick up and drop off at the school and any special rules that apply at these times. A well-designed drop-off and pick-up procedure along with drivers who correctly follow the procedure will improve the safety of everyone arriving to or departing from school. See Student drop-off and pick-up section for more information on how to improve the safety of this process.
3. Parents as drivers near the school
Parents are no different than other drivers. Some contribute to safety problems by speeding through school zones and failing to obey traffic signals. See the next section for All drivers near the school for messages and strategies for reaching parents in this role.