Would I be unreasonable to contact this school about pupils' road safety?

[Moominlandmidwinter]

The DC are at two different primary schools, which are fairly close to each other, with a secondary school nearby.

DH usually does the school pick-up. He's away for the weekend, so I had to do it today. For pick-up at the first school, I parked around the corner on a side road. As I pulled out to drive off again, a group of three boys, from the secondary school, came running down the middle of the road. I stopped and waited for them to pass. They made no attempt to get on to the pavement. Half-way to the second school, I turned off a mini-roundabout, and a girl stepped out right in front of me, and I had to slam on the brakes. Then, about 200m down the road, another couple of girls ran across the road just in front of me again.

By the time I got to the second school, I actually felt a bit shaky. I could easily have hit any of these children, and I'm a very careful driver. My lovely ex-childminder actually had a child from this school run out in front of her once, and ended up with a broken pelvis.

Traffic is very bad around the area at the beginning and end of the day, due to the close proximity of these schools (plus another primary school), and I wonder whether the school need to advise the pupils to exercise more caution. I'm considering contacting them to express my concern. Do I sound like a busybody? WIBU- is this just what children of secondary school age do (DD1 will be starting there in September)?

[Mawgatron]

I work in a secondary school and we all do duty throughout the week. There are staff outside the front of school (four) every morning and after school to supervise the students. If the head gets complaints he reminds the students in whole school assembly about the expectations of the school/potential risks to themselves and drivers etc.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

moonmin

The school will be pleased that you have done it.

I have seen 3 school children hit by cars and buses, all due to the children running out in to the road.

Those of us on road duty now wear high viz vests and direct/slow down the traffic and the children but we still get children running out in to the road.

[Trigglesx]

I think drivers are a big part of the problem. Well TBH they're most of the problem really. Lots of parents appear to drive their kids to/from school unnecessarily. Traffic isn't bad around schools just because the schools are there but because of parents making the decision to drive and also driving close to the school rather than parking some distance off if they feel they need to drive. If you couldn't drive, you'd find another way of managing children going to different schools, such as arranging for someone else to pick up or drop off a child whilst taking their own child.

Complete load of nonsense. I notice you say "appear" to drive kids to/from unnecessarily. Because you don't know. Perhaps they are disabled, or the children are, which makes the walk difficult. Perhaps they have children in two different schools. Perhaps they have to go straight to work afterwards.

I would say the problem with children (or adults) being out in the roadway in an unsafe manner is down to the children or adults involved, NOT the vehicles. The vehicles are where they are supposed to be - in the roadway. The children and adults might find it beneficial (at least safer!) to be where they should be as well - NOT in the roadway unless at a crossing. Not really rocket science, is it?

[Jan49]

I think drivers are a big part of the problem. Well TBH they're most of the problem really. Lots of parents appear to drive their kids to/from school unnecessarily. Traffic isn't bad around schools just because the schools are there but because of parents making the decision to drive and also driving close to the school rather than parking some distance off if they feel they need to drive. If you couldn't drive, you'd find another way of managing children going to different schools, such as arranging for someone else to pick up or drop off a child whilst taking their own child.

[Scholes34]

At going home time every afternoon, either the principal of our secondary school or another member of the management team is at the front gate, saying goodbye to the pupils and keeping them in check. The principal knows nearly all of them by name, or at the very least which class they're in - and that's about 1,000 kids. No major issues with pedestrians and traffic. You might like to suggest this, OP.

[Trigglesx]

Our primary and junior school has the same issue. What's more maddening is parents (with their children) going across the street just 10-30 feet from the marked crossing right out in front of cars. They're just teaching and reinforcing poor road safety, guaranteeing that someone's going to end up getting run over.

And the number of people that park up where they're not supposed to, blocking everything, combined with parents and children running across between parked up cars.... it's like an assault course getting through it.

[ivykaty44]

Oh and it is 12 year old that are most likely to be run over - read that somewhere this week

[ivykaty44]

op - what do you want the school to do when you contact them?

My best friends son was knocked down through his own sillyness - he was crossing the road and just got on the pavement when he turned and ran of into the road again - the car didn't stand a chance of stopping. he smashed his leg up badly and had several ops and a lot of pain.

how do you stop teens leaving school from being silly and unaware of what they are doing and how it could impact on them?

[Loulybelle]

I have to drive past the Secondary to get to the Primary, and the little shits can scare the life out of you sometimes, my sister also attends that school, if i ever caught her doing that, she'd get a right earful.

[Moominlandmidwinter]

hedgefund.

[hedgefund]

maybe you could head up a road sense campaign for the school yourself moomin

[hedgefund]

well hope the pupils take note but i would really like to see slow zones outside all schools in the future, the roads are getting so dangerous now and we seem to forget that kids, even teenagers don't have alot of road sense, since they are driven from such a young age and don't have to think too much about road safety until they have to walk places alone.

we really are lax in this country with road safety, which is bizarre as roads are getting busier and yet we expect kids to suddenly get road sense and not blame the drivers. it's a bit depressing imo.

[Moominlandmidwinter]

I have e-mailed the headteacher. Have kept the email brief, to the point, yet polite, without moaning too much (although moaning is what I do best) .

[Hassled]

I agree you should say something.

They're bloody clueless re road safety around here, too - DS2 was pratting about on a road while DD happened to be driving past. She pulled over and yelled at him in front of his mates - he won't be doing it again :o.

[Sidge]

I hear you.

I drive to DD2 and 3s school (too far to walk and DD2s SN mean this is the right school for her before I get told to walk) and drive past 3 senior schools.

My journey is a frightening experience most days as so many of these kids have a death wish, whether on foot or bikes. They are on and off the pavements, running across the roads, darting in and out of traffic and rarely seem to wait for the lollipop man. They shove each other off pavements into traffic and push each other off bikes.

It's not uncommon to see paramedics and police gathered around one lying in the road from time to time - it's just a miracle none of them have been killed.

However carefully I drive I live in horror of hitting one.

[olivo]

Definitely email the school. I find it really helps us to get the message across if we can say we had a message from some one who lives locally etc etc.

[Moominlandmidwinter]

I keep thinking of that poor girl with the broken pelvis, and how traumatised my childminder was. She had to stop working for a month, as a big part of her job is ferrying children around. She is usually the calmest, most together person, but she went to pieces. She also had to contend with the fact that the girl who rolled over her bonnet was friends with her DD.

When I was at school, we had a talk from a policeman about the dangers of playing on railway lines. Part of that talk was about the effect it has on the train drivers when they hit someone, the emergency services when they have to pick up the pieces, and the families involved. It really hit home (not that I would have played on railway lines otherwise!).

If a similar sort of talk hit home with just a couple of pupils, and potentially stop them from being ran-over, it would be worth it.

[PacificDogwood]

YANBU. Do speak up.

The local secondary school is a stone's throw away from our house and a number of kids seem to have a death wish . Some 'play chicken', pretending to jump out in front of passing cars, some are just careless, some seem to be showing off by being too cool for the pavement.
One teen once ran into DH's stationary car, running around a tight corner too fast (no pavement) .

Anyway, we spoke to the school. They do say, that what kids get up to outside the school is outwith their control and not their responsibility. But they also brought it up in assembly and actually for a while things were better.

They are teens, their brains are in the process of being rewired, they are invincible and Too Cool For School. That's why us mature people have to look out for them. Speak up. If it prevents one accident it will have been worth it.
And drive very, very slow as I've got into the habit.

[lljkk]

yanbu, just state the facts. At least you've tried.

[HorryIsUpduffed]

Before DS started at school I contacted it to express concerns regarding road safety of the bloody parents. Now we are there I see the frequency of newsletter reminders.

It might spur the school to do yet another reminder in assembly.

[AuntieStella]

5mph zones would not be much assistance in dealing with the behaviour described in OP.

[Moominlandmidwinter]

It's true that cars are parked very badly, although recently there have been many letters home about this, and now there are PCSOs around the primary schools on a regular basis, to advise parents to move when parked inappropriately.

I agree with AuntieStella, at least if road safety was talked about in school, there is at least a chance that it might get through to some of the pupils. However, I also agree with Startail about some of them probably being beyond hope! The boys running down the centre of the road spring to mind!

[Potterer]

The local secondary school to me kicks out at 2pm on a Friday so if I drive to the assembly which starts early (and no I don't live even remotely close enough to walk or I would) I have to dodge around them.

There is more than enough room for them on the wide pavements with no parked cars but they just meander across the road, slowing traffic down, or ignoring the crossing over a busy dual carriageway to take their chances with cars going at 70 mile an hour.

Sadly it is just the way some teenagers are

[hedgefund]

5mph zones though could be policed

[AuntieStella]

They can't police it, of course.

But they can consider including rod safety in PSHE or in assemblies, and hope some of the message sticks.