LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 

The truth is that cars and schools do not mix safely 

9/29/99

Thank you for the recent article, "Expert says Americans focused on false fears." 

Ironically, the same edition carried a more graphic story asking "Can we keep them safe?" regarding our children. And that story was full of false fears. 

Sensational news stories create the impression that children are most at risk from crazed gunmen, drug pushers and stranger abductors. Parents often respond to those fears by driving their children to school. In the 1950s and 1960s, half of all children got to school by walking or by bicycle. That number is now down to one in ten. 

All of that extra driving creates risks that are far greater than guns, drugs and abductions combined. The most obvious risk is that cars and schools do not mix safely. Automobiles are the leading cause of death for children, according to Centers for Disease Control statistics. 

Children who are biking and walking to school are put at risk by those parents who are driving their children to school. More children die being hit by cars than ever died from crazed gunmen. It just doesn't make for exciting news stories. 

A less-obvious risk is that driving children everywhere deprives them of exercise as part of their normal daily routine. These patterns of exercise are set in childhood and last a lifetime. We see alarmingly rising rates of obesity in children today. The health risks of these poor exercise habits are much higher than the imagined, overly feared risks that parents are protecting their kids from by driving them around. 

At last year's international Pro Bike/Pro Walk Conference here in Santa Barbara, one quarter of the hundreds of attendees were public health officials who were concerned about just this issue. 

Even less obvious is the loss of safety in numbers. When lots of kids are biking and walking to school together they are safer from all risks. And having a healthier social life as well 

We need new safety priorities based on real risk rather than hype. 

Just as we ask for drug-free and gun-free areas around schools, we should ban parents dropping off children with cars within 1,000 feet of a school building unless medically necessary. 

A top priority must be a guarantee that every child is able to get to school and to recreation without the need to be driven. That means a real commitment to safe bikeways and walkways and good public transportation, much more than anything currently proposed. 

The good news is that such priorities will benefit everyone! 

Robert Bernstein 
President 
Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition