To think it riduculous that parents in my area allow their kids to do this

[Anenome]

I live in the outskirts of a small city...it's a very nice area, lot's of nice people and nice houses. There are 3 schools within less than a mile's radius of my home.

Every morning I walk DD to her school which is 5 mins walk away...my 2 year old DD comes too, either walking or in a buggy.

We are in constant danger from kids as young as 3 and 4 who ride scooters and bikes to the nearby CofE school (we don't go there).

These kids are hurtling ahead of their Mum's or Dads on very narrow paths, the parents are almost never close enough to stop them as they crash towards me or my kids...the parents never apologise or even attempt to slow the kids down...and it is ME who has to dodge THEM!

The road is a very busy main one...often jammed with traffic and to me it looks like an accident waiting to happen.

Should I speak to the CofE school about it? Maybe suggest they mention to parents about safety for pedestrians? Or AIBU?

The eldest child in my last nanny job was allowed to scoot to preSchool but the pavements were wide and she was taught to slow down or stop if anyone was coming the other way and to wait for me at any corners or side roads. she knew that if she didn't do this the scooter would be left at home. some children are an accident waiting to happen and their fond parents dont seem to care. If they are too young to be taught common sense and manners they are to young to be riding scooters outside of a park. These things are after all toys not serious modes of transport

Anenome - if this site is so perfect for you - why do you keep complaining about it and its posters?

Chipingin

I don't "keep complaining" I moaned a bit on this thread because the first few responses were undeniably mean and hooty. Some people simply put "Lol" as their response...others got judgmental about my choice of words and laughed at me for seeming snobbish by accident...now you're being personal...and its a bit boring. This is rather off topic...and as I said I'm bored by it..better things to do...so...whatever.

Won't somebody please think of the poor scootering children? An entire generation will have one really strong leg and one flimsy one.

It's a tragedy.

Hi usual... or should I say fucking moron number 3?

at tethersend...

I don't know what Anenome has said on other threads, but I think she's within her rights to think some of the responses here have been a bit...unreasonable. She hasn't suggested banning scooters, or chopping off the legs of infants. Simply that where young children are not able to use a scooter in a manner that is safe for themselves and others that they don't use it in a very busy pedestrian area. She hasn't suggested wrapping kids up in cotton wool, or not allowing kids to scoot if they can do so safely, or said children should be driven everywhere.

I don't understand why people are having such aggressive reactions to the suggestion that parents should take resposibility for their young children not injuring themselves or others. Is that really that unreasonable?

Hey Tethers ..DID YOUR TIME EVER COME

It still might I suppose... I'm still waiting. Of course, it's not the despair, it's the hope which hurts.

The main issue I have with kids scootering to school isn't the risk of injury to pedestrians as they crash into them - our pavements are wide enough - its the lack of control their parents have over their dc

My dd beeged me to let her scooter to school and I let her for a few days - my heart was in my mouth. I couldn't reach her if I needed to and she kept swerving towards the road, I couldn't guarantee her safety so I put a stop to it. She complained at the time but is perfectly capable of walking.

Young kids (tends to be the under 6's here) are scootering to school here all the time, also a 'nice' area with an extremely busy main road which cars, buses and lorries are thundering along - there is no way parents are in control of their dcs when said dcs are shooting ahead of them, past driveways and side roads

It is a matter of time until a kid loses control and swerves onto a busy road and gets killed. And then everyone will be up in arms, scooters will be banned, councils and schools will be blamed for allowing it to happen...

Someone who didn't like my daughter's scooter manners told her that they hoped she'd get run over in the traffic.

15 seconds later they spoke very politely to me about how she was going too fast, etc. But it really jaded me when DD reported what they had snarled at her. Also, the bit where supposedly she had frightened them etc. is uphill and it was hard to figure out how she could have been going that fast, anyway.

we scoot to school every day (DDs are 4 and 6)
if we didn't, we would be in the car. it is too far for them to walk.
we walk along an A road for part of the journey.
we have set "stopping places" where they must wait for me so they don't get too far ahead
they have been taught to check driveways (but they are not far enough ahead of me to get into danger, touch wood).

they can be a bit speedy and sometimes pedestrians do have to swerve dd1 a bit. i do yell at her to "look up" and smile/apologise if she has a near miss.... i have only ever had a smile or a "don't worry" back.

the impression i get from most people is that it is nice to see kids walking to school! the roads are rammed, and that is the alternative.

and no they don't wear helmets.

so back to the OP - you should say something to the parents like simply "your dc nearly hit us".

I'm interested to know how far people consider to be "too far" My DD (elder) is now 6 and hs beenable to walk into town holding my hand since she was three and a half...that's almost two miles.

I think people underestimate their kids ability to walk a bit of distace...I KNOW how hard mornings are when you've a houseful to cope with...but I also think that walking is simply safer.

amidawish I also think it nice to see kids walking...but these are not walking..they're scooting...dangerously. I don't think it reasonable that I have to "swerve a bit" and an apology which comes AFTER one of my kids has been hit will be too late won't it?

I would say something to the parents but they're usually jogging behind their offspring and I would literally have to chase them...which may seem a bit full on!

Ragged....that person sound weird...to say such a terrible thing to your child!

Well unfortunately for my DD when she was 6yo and walking to school one day she got mown down by another 6yo girl from her class hurtling along the pavement.

Its was a normal walking to school day. Lots of scooters hurtling past us etc. We were used to it and although it always bugged the hell out of me, I had never said anything.
We heard a scooter coming up behind us, moved in slightly to let the scooter past - except it didnt. My daughter was on the floor, the scooter went pretty much over her whole body lengthways in cluding her head. The 6yo child on the scooter and the scooter fell onto of my DD head.

It was a 999 ambulance job. Alot of blood,stitches on the head and concussion or my DD. She had to stay in hospital for 48 hours.

The other child got away with grazed palms, scratched knee and was obviously a bit shaken up.

Walking to school after that was a nightmare. My DD would go rigid and literally stop and pin herself to inside wall or step onto someones driveway to let scooters past. It would take us ages to get to school.

We have moved house twice since then and she was the same walking to school there.

Even just a few weeks ago in the summer holdays we were walking along the wide prom at the seaside and she ran in fear to the wall and pinned herself against it to let the scooters go by. This is over 3 years on. She told me the sound of a scooter on the pavement makes her terrified.

OK its not awful. Its probably not going to effect the way she lives the rest of her life (i hope) but really I am bloody angry that it happend. It will happen again and probably has happend to many children on differing levels since.

So I am in the camp that thinks yeah - bloody slow your kids down on the pavements when they are on their scooters. Especially at busy times like the school run. I really do not think some parents do apprceciate how dangerous it can be.

I think about my DDs injuries and how they were caused by another 6yo child similar in size and build to my DD. Had that been a year 6 child or larger/older child it could have been alot worse, this was something the Dr commented on at the hospital.

Yanbu and I think some people have been quite unfair. If the actions of these children is actually making you fear for your children's safety then clearly something needs to be done. If you don't feel able to speak to the parents then maybe you should contact the school. They should at least send out a letter asking parents to make sure their children ride their scooters safely.

I don't understand how scooting to school takes any less energy than walking.

We walk to school and find that if they take their scooters it tends to take longer as they are too busy playing on them! Bikes are even worse as they are 4, 6 and 8 so all cycle at different speeds and it is a bit like herding unruly sheep (or maybe that is just my kids!)

Anyway, back to OP, YANBU. Regardless of whether the children are walking/cycling/scooting/flying in their private jets they are young children and their parents should be supervising them properly. If the children are miles ahaead of them next to a busy road then IMO they are not being properly supervised.

Mum72 that sounds dreadful! And it's this sort of thing that I have been imagining in my head! My 2 year old is obviously holding my hand but she's small...and I don't want her or my 6 year old squashed!

Marje Yes..I suspect those people who have shouted me down and ridiculed me are people who'se kids ride scooters to school...I'm not saying everyone is lax but a lot are. I think I will contact the school

domesticsluttery I don't undertand either! People should set off earlier if they have a bit of a walk to get to school. Bikes are ba too...but at least where I live it seems to be more the 10 year olds who ride those...and although they are on the path they usually have the sense to dismount and push the bike past people...I agree that the Mums with more than one kid on a scooter seem more harrassed than those who are walking!

And as for the myriad of Mum's who then scoot their kids scooters back home when they've dropped their DC's off! Don't get me started! They whizz along at high speeds on tiny scooters like it was normal!

well at pick up the walk to school is 20 mins at my fast pace
we can get there in 20mins with scooters
or 30mins+ walking
or drive in 5mins

which should i choose?

i do walk very closely beside them, they are not whizzing miles ahead out of sight/grabbing distance

Well amidaiwish you sound like one of the rarer kind...the ones I am complaining of are the ones who allow the kids to go ahead as it's probably easier than constantly ccontroling them with reprimands and warnings...these women (and men) are wandering along looking like they just rolled out of bed....and totally unaware of the traffic...or their kids!

IF scooting is safe for you then do it! I'm not knocking people choosing it..but there does seem to be a fad for it atm which invites srutiny...where I live many people walk to school...and more than half of them are on sooters and bikes. Thats too many on ur narrow paths basically.

Tell the school in question - if it's endangering other pedestrians and also the children then they need to take some action.

They might (should) send a form home or some sort or just a letter telling them to taker responsibility of road safety

My DCS school had to do similar with all the plonker parking some parents were doing

I live in Chelsea dahling, kids everywhere on scooters, everyone is fine.

I too think it would be a good idea to talk directly to the school or schools involved, and ask them to send a letter home and to talk to the children as well. After all, it is not only the safety of other pedestrians that is being put at risk, but these children's own safety too, so it would be perfectly normal for this sort of safety issue to be addressed by a school.

In my experience, primary school children are good at absorbing safety messages but they do need reminding from time to time, because they are learning so much else that things can get forgotten.

Yes, this is the responsibility of the parents, but it is also the responsibility of the school - after all, they can address all the children directly, which parents can't.

I agree StayingDavidTennantsGirl

The school DOES have some responsibility for the kids, they're there to teach them and that includes how to behave in life in general. I mean when there was a local fad for playing "chicken" on the rail tracks the schools certainly got involved in that!

I have my own scooter. When DH is around in the mornings, DD1 & I scoot to school together. We race, in fact. It's good fun, you should try it sometime.