Why do people drive their kids to school??

[brightonbaker]

Every day My oldest DD 11 walks to school, she is at secondary school and it is about 8minutes walk away. There is one road to cross. I walk my younger DD 8 to school, her school is the same distance. I then get home and go to work, I'm lucky I can start at 9:30.
I think it is good for them to walk to school as it is a good start to the day, exercise, fresh air etc.
I have two neighbours with older DDs about 13 and 14 who I am quite sure have never walked to school, ever. So they leave about the same time as us and get back about the same time as its only 8 minutes walk and by the time they have found somewhere to park** illegally it takes the same amount of time. So why? Why are they doing this? one of the parents does not work so no need to rush and I'm not sure what the other one does.
Really gets on my nerves so thought I'd see if there are some legitimate reasons why people drive to a very local school ?

[brightonbaker]

Who did that to the bold?? Sorry about that

[steppemum]

In your example I totally agree, as the children are old enough and close enough to walk.

But for younger children, the reason most often cited is simply that the parents are on their way to work and drop the kids off on the way, which makes sense to me.

[bottlesandcans]

Why does it bother you so much? It's a non issue.

[misscph1973]

Winds me up too!

I now drive my DD to secondary school as it's 5 miles away on a very busy road. We have tried cycling, it's just not safe, so many lorries and a very large round-about. I miss walking/cycling to primary school.

I remember people parking at the front door on double yellow lines to DD's pre school!

But at the end of the day we don't know other people's reasons. Maybe there are legitimate reasons for them to drive. Or perhaps walking and fresh air is just not as important to them as it it to you and me.

[operaha]

I thought this today. I work so kids have to walk ( 12 mins same side of road) come rain or shine but I'm off ill at the moment and it was raining but I waved 12 year old ds off because it's hardly far and to pull up, park, turn around would definitely take longer than him walking!
Dp drives his kids the same distance at detriment to him starting work on time and it does make me a bit.

You'll get those saying " why wouldn't you do something kind for your kids" etc but meh, its clogging up the roads and not practical where we are at all.

[VacantExpression]

I saw someone who lives ten houses distance away from school last week drive to school and park on their friends drive five houses away. Mystery to me.

There are loads of reasons why people do drive though- they have to dash off to work (me), illness or disability, they can't physically carry all the lunch ,guitar, PE kit, book bag, cardboard box they've been asked to take in (me) yay I'll have a giant castle to bring home and admire in half term , bad time planning in the morning (me) laziness (also me)....

[brightonbaker]

But they have never walked to school and one of the parents never worked so not on her way to work.
It is an issue because of the environment, obesity, some, not these particular ones, parking all over the place making it difficult for those that do walk to cross safely.

[PinkHeart5913]

I don't know but where I live No child can possibly use there legs to walk, come 3pm you can not move in my village for 4x4s

[MillicentFawcett]

Of course it's not a 'non-issue'. It increases pollution, it makes the roads more dangerous, it's encouraging a generation to think that exercise is something that should be put into specific boxes of time, rather than just a means of getting from A to B.

I have neighbours who do the same OP. Does my head in.

[Lweji]

If course there are legitimate reasons, as you said, on the way to work.
But if you want to know about your neighbours, ask them.

[TansyVioletta]

In your example it's not great as it causes unnecessary pollution and the exercise would be good for them.

[Andro]

Some people don't live within reasonable walking distance.
Some people don't live on an appropriate public transport route.
Some parents may not be able to physically do the walk.
Some children may not be able to do the walk (even if they appear fine).
Some parents may be going past school on their way to work so drop off en route.
Some older children may not be trustworthy enough to walk.

[strawberrisc]

Really none of your business. I don't drive and I work. I walked my daughter to school every day (before she started getting lifts to the bus stop) for piece of mind.

[danTDM]

Exactly the same with me OP. Huge cars, 4x4's and they look at me and DD with pity, she is practically the only child who walks. Also about 10 mins away.

I find it irritating too! Don't know why, as you said, I have a next door but one neighbour and she drives and sometimes I get home before her!

It's so bad for the environment, the chubby children (they are) and the pavement outside school which is dangerous as people park on it and we are trying to walk on it!

Is it 11 or 10 when children can walk on their own in the UK?

[sunshinestorm]

It takes me 7 minutes, front door to playground, to walk DCs to primary school. A few parents on the same street drive every single morning, even in nice weather and are not on their way to work either. Just makes no sense to me at all!

[Shittyshopping]

In the case you explain I get you might wonder why.

But others drive them to school for other reasons. Maybe they drop of and drive onto work. Maybe they have teenagers that try and bunk so the parents drive them to school. Maybe they are just lazy. Maybe if they walked they would miss the start of Jeremy Kyle.

[BluthsFrozenBananas]

My DDs school is a twenty minute walk away, normally I walk her in, but when I drive it's either because I'm unwell or have injured myself and walking would be difficult, because we have something large or heavy to take into school or because it's chucking it down with rain. I don't mind walking in the rain but I can go back home and change, DD either has to wear full waterproofs and wellies, then find somewhere to store these at school when she gets in, or spend the day wet.

I pick her up in the car three days a week because she needs to get to activities straight after school on those days, we wouldn't make it in time on foot.

[brightonbaker]

Our catchment area is so small that nobody lives more than half a mile away so really no need for the cars. The particular neighbours I am thinking of really have no excuse. Maybe others are on their way to work but why not leave 5 mins earlier and park 100m from the school? I think some people are just always running late perhaps. Still annoys me.

[Pinkkahori]

We live within walking distance and i don't work but we never walk.
It's an extremely busy, quite narrow road with no foothpaths. We tried it once, it was terrifying. We had to spend so much time clinging to the hedgerows to avoid passing cars that it was miserable.

[danTDM]

Of course, parent dropping off on the way to work is different, but I don't think me and the OP are talking about that. Nor people with disabilities, obviously.

No OP it's a mystery to me too.

[brightonbaker]

Maybe if they walked they would miss the start of Jeremy Kyle.

Finally, a good reason!

[danTDM]

But that's a different scenario pink! That sounds hairy!

[Springersrock]

When mine were younger I drove them as I didn't have time to walk there, drop them off and then walk back home before driving to work

They're older now and in high school so they generally walk with their mates - unless it's raining/they're running late and they tap me up for a lift - I drive past their school to get to work anyway

[OuchBollocks]

I walked down my road to the shop (less than 10 minutes gentle stroll), passing my (young fit healthy) neighbours house then about 5 minutes later passing the same neighbours huge car parked illegally outside the school next door to the supermarket, which has a large free car park. Seriously wft?

[Shittyshopping]

dan I get the pity thing. Where I used to live there was a really long hill. A mum from the school lives at the bottom and said omg are you going to walk them kids up the hill. I said yes. She says no way would mine walk that hill. It would take about 15 mins to walk. But i notice friends who have cats their kids don't want to walk anywhere and when they do they moan their legs are tired etc.