AIBU to be very nervous about school coach trip to the seaside?

[bowerbird]

Hello all, this is my first post and I need you to tell me if I'm BU. My DD's school have planned a whole school trip to the seaside in July. There are coaches booked. The whole "coach" thing makes me worried. How many times do we see news reports of horrible accidents involving school coaches (one just recently)? The safety record of these vehicles is appalling. Please believe that I'm not generally neurotic - life involves risks blah blah blah - yes absolutely. And this is not a "letting go" issue, as DD has been apart from me before on all day trips and overnight with friends and when I've had to travel for work. Furthermore, we have taken every other form of transport (plane, boat, train, car) without worry or mishap. Oh, did I mention the trip is booked for Friday the 13th? I'm very tempted to say she can't go, as I will not be able to get any work done that day for thinking about a motorway pileup, blood and the phone call from the police. This is nuts, right? Or do any of you out there share my nervousness? Thank you MNers!

I do everytime the kids go on a trip.

Could you volunteer to go along and help out?

Yanbu to be a bit worried, ywbu to stop her going because of it.

The chances of anything going wrong are tiny

Thanks for swift replies. Pj unfortunately can't go along - there were very few parent places and they're all gone.

Seriously? Yabu

1000s of coaches travel around ALL the time, so few of he crash, and hose that do are usually on long overnight journeys. A couple of hours in the day time? Will be fine.

If you say no you are setting a precedent as 99% of school trips involve coaches...

Thank you Sarcalogos. You are right. I simply must get a grip about this as it sets an unpleasant precedent.

Actually, the safety record of coaches is not appalling. These days with tachographs that cannot be over-ridden it is well nigh impossible to break the driver's hours regulations, and the installation of speed limiters and seat belts, mean that they are as safe a mode of transport as any. Certainly they are much safer than cars.

It's just that every now and again there is an accident and if it involves someone dying (as in the case of the coach in France this weekend) reports of the crash are all over the media and the safety statistics tend to be ignored.

Just out of interest, even if you could accompany your dd on the trip, how would your presence avoid an accident?

YANBU as it is only natural to worry about your children going away when you are not there because you have that horrible feeling about everything being out of your control. It is all very well to say eerything will be okay and I am sure it will, but it is a "mum thing". Last year my DS' year (aged 11/12)went to Holland by coach then ferry and I was really worried about it. All the mums reassured each other that despite all of our fears (why did they have to go somewhere so far away?) everything would be fine. We got a text to say they had arrived in Holland safely and breathed a collective sigh of relief. Half an hour later we got a phone call to tell us that DS had tripped and broken his hand. Go figure... he was fine and so was I in the end as the teachers dealt with it brilliantly and kept me informed, but was not the easiest of times!!

What has happened in france is a tragic and very sad and YANBU to be cautious about the seaside trip , but we cant live our lives worrying about everything , bus crashes are really rare hundreds of coaches and buses are on the road every day without any accidents , try and put it at the back of your mind ,

How are the safety records for coaches appalling?

And what on earth does it have to do with it being on Friday 13th?

It's only the disasters that make the news, you know? The other 99.9% of journeys made safely aren't worth reporting on.

YABU. Coaches are absolutely not more dangerous than any other road vehicle - the reason they make the news when they crash is because they carry so many people. The crash in France, though awful, had incredibly few serious injuries and deaths - so even when the worst does happen, and a coach comes off the road and overturns, the overwhelming majority survive.

Your DC has far more chance of coming a cropper in a car or as a pedestrian. In fact, most accidents actually occur in the home. Nowhere is 100% safe, but preventing your DC from going on a school trip because you are worried about the coach is just going to set them up with anxiety issues for life.

I'm sure I read stats somewhere that said coach journeys are much safer than private cars.

I'm nervous about DS2's birthday trip to the zoo.

But that's because there are 5 9yr old boys and only a 12yr old girl and I to look after them

She will be fine. She will have a great time and nothing horrible will happen to her. And this is something that will have to happen sooner or later.

I do sympathise. Recently DD went on a school trip to London, hours on the coach, I did worry but put it out of my mind (she is 15 btw so has been on loads of trips, but this was just after the snow/ice weekend). When she got home ,,,, I discovered they had taken the train! Good communication teenager - parent, of course .....

Yes it's nuts. And neurotic.