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 ?

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

It's a huge issue. It causes congestion, is bad for the environment and also makes the streets dangerous so other people don't their kids to walk/cycle and creates a vicious cycle.

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

There's no particular age but some schools say from year 5/6 which is about 10/11. At others the kids could probably do it from year 3. There is paranoia about stranger danger in the UK (and ironically traffic danger) which I don't think is as nearly highly developed in other countries.

If everyone who could walk, did, there would far less traffic and then those who genuinely did need to drive would find their journeys easier and more parking places.

DS was so underweight last year (Reception) that we often drove him to school. It took longer than the 10 minute walk to drive, park etc. I did feel very self conscious but we had more important things to worry about.

Too far to walk
No footpaths (i.e. rural)
Too young to go on own and parents on way to work
Child is carrying PE kit, hockey stick, food tech ingredients and large instrument.

The village I used to live in has a school right on the edge, which serves it and the next village over. The kids start in year 5, and most of them arrive without cars. One of my Brownies told me it took her 40 mins to walk there (which I'd say is quite far for a 9 year old with lots of stuff) but it's seen as totally normal.

The upper school is a few towns over so they all get the bus there.

I agree. I think as a society we have gotten pretty lazy, and all this unnecessary car use is a big contributing factor to obesity and wrecking the environment. Unless the kids / parent have a health issue that prevents them walking then I think everyone should be able to manage a 30 minute or less walk to school each way. Frankly I'd rather walk anyway than have the hassle of finding somewhere to park. Though I can see that some parents may drop their kids off and then be driving straight onto work afterwards, so I can kind of understand that.

I honestly don’t understand why some people get so obsessed with others lifestyle choices. If she wants to drive her kids to school she can and it’s not your business. You are both entitled to make different choices without one sitting in judgement of the other and deciding their choices are both wrong and annoying.

I genuinely didn’t know people did this shit till I joined mumsnet.

I don't mind the driving to school - I understand the drop on way to work/other things on list of to dos etc but why do they have to leave any semblance of a brain behind when it comes to parking, why do they feel they have to hand hold right up to when the bell goes and why can the schools not organise things so there is a drop and run zone NEXT to the school to ease traffic flow. TO many people involved - school, parents, police, council - none of who want to take responsibility

"I'm lucky I can start at 9:30. "

Not everyone can do that, can they? - and they might just prefer to drop kids off in the car if they're going in that direction anyway...

My DD did a half hour walk to school every day. My neighbours' younger kids wouldn't even know the way as they always go in the car (there's a short cut on foot through some fields). My neighbours are driving past to get to work every day, so they take the kids. Makes sense to me.

TOO even

i must admit it does irk me too, although I'm not sure why as it doesn't really affect me. I guess it's just because it's adding to pollution and the crazy parking looks stressful.

Dh is a chronic driver. He's walked out of our street a handful of times and we've lived here years.

I'm in London and it would be quicker to drive but the absolute ball ache of getting a park anywhere near the school negates the quickness of actually getting there!

Our neighbour drives every day. I don't know how her nerves can stand it to be honest. But then I don't do the school run every day.

Actually just thinking about it our CM does it and she lives a little further than us from the school, is nearing 60 not that she'll admit that and pushes a pram sometimes a double!

People are lazy if they can get away with it.

Maybe they have lots of school equipment to carry? Maybe they (parent or child) has a condition that makes walking more challenging? Maybe they are just lazy?

It baffles me too. We also live about 10 minute away, one road to cross. My very shouty neighbour, who has 2 children and 1 in the pram, walks in the pissing rain. When she has a car sitting there? She's always screaming at them too because they walk too fast than her!

I walk to school and back when possible (when my DP gets a car space at work once every 13 weeks).

But in the morning I have to drop my DD off at nursery 15 mins drive from my home for half 8 then i have to drive back up to my home to where my DS school is for quarter to 9 as that's what time the infants start and I then have to drive my DP to work 17 mins away for 9 (always few mins late but been cleared with boss for this) and the drive home again.

It simply doesn't make sense for me to drive to the nursery then drive home walk to school walk back and then drive DP to work so we take the car from the beginning.

I don't work but still have stuff to do I don't go straight home we don't park illegally tho.

Personally I don't care about what others do, but it is annoying that some parents drive their children to school even it's walking distance, because of the crazy traffic on our street and random parents parking in front of our driveway and I can't get out!

We live twenty to thirty minute walk away and sometimes drive if we are doing something straight after the drive or are very tired. Most of the time we walk and if DH is at work we have to walk as I don't drive.

that

so it baffles you that your very shouty neighbour (bit PA there) walks when she has a car?

And if one is in the pram then only one dc walks faster than her?

You can see the difference between the children who are used to walking and those that aren't. The ones who aren't used it act like the world is about to explode if they have to walk to school one day, whereas the ones who are used to it just get on with it.

The parents are looking to increase their carbon footprint?

It would take my primary age kids about an hour along a big motorway junction and a busy A road. It's about 5 miles.

If there is a disability that's very different. But I don't get the Carrying things bit. Children who do walk. Will have PE, drama cooking ect they manage.

I don't know. I suspect maybe just they have nothing better to do and it's just something for them to do in the day if they aren't working, and perhaps their kids ask them to. I drive mine to school, but it's a 10 minute drive away on a busy A road, no way she could be walking even if she was old enough. But by the time I was 12, I walked myself to school and home every morning as my mum left for work at 6am (she was a single parent) and didn't get home until about 6pm. It was about a mile or even more, took me about 30 minutes walking, but I did it nearly every day, rain, shine, snow, whatever, because I had to. I suspect it could be just a bit of needing to still be in control or just laziness.

It's ridiculous. I'd hate to have brought up a child who had no experience of how to use public transport/walk on their own.

Plus, we're all getting fatter and more unhealthy and the environment is getting more polluted.

I will be driving DD to school when she starts because there is no pavement. Not even a little bit of it. We live down a very long, full of blind corners, country road and I’d rather drive her than risk us getting hit by cars