School zones: drive carefully

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) is launching a wide-ranging campaign to sensitise drivers to the particular dangers around schools. The ACL will publicise the campaign via its social networks. In addition, the Luxembourg police will be mobilised in the school districts.

‘Children do not have the same cognitive abilities as adults. They cannot realistically judge the speed of a car and are easily distracted by their surroundings,’ the FIA emphasises in a press release.

This year’s campaign warmly encourages drivers to remain vigilant at all times around schools, as a lot can happen on the way to school. The ‘Drive Carefully’ campaign is part of the ‘Vision Zero’ concept, which focuses on mutual respect, responsibility and caution in road traffic environments. ‘The FIA contributes to a safe mobility culture with our programmes for children and drivers. This year, the campaign was launched just before our European Road Safety Education Competition, which is considered the Eurovision of road safety for children aged 10 to 12. As a mum and a driver, I am very proud that we are actively involved in making the journey to school safer for everyone,’ said Laurianne Krid, Director General of FIA Region I (Europe, Middle East and Africa).

The FIA campaign for the safety of children around schools has been running since 2 September in 27 languages and 27 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In Luxembourg, the campaign has been distributed via the Automobile Club Luxembourg since 15 September. The awareness campaign, which runs throughout September, is supported by the FIA Safe and Sustainable Mobility Grants Programme.

Special consideration in the vicinity of schools
The Grand Ducal Police will increase its presence around Luxembourg’s schools, as it does at the start of every school year. At this year’s start of the new school year, they will be present in particular around school facilities and will be available to assist teaching staff and parents. Every year at the start of school after the summer holidays, the police carry out checks to ensure the safety of young children, parents and teachers in particular. The focus of police work is increasingly on speeding and parking offences around schools and on the way to and from school. Another focus is on administrative offences such as disregarding the obligation to wear seat belts and generally all dangerous driving manoeuvres.
To raise awareness, the police have published a leaflet explaining the rules of caution to children.

Last year, 634 chargeable warnings were issued for parking offences and 261 chargeable warnings for speeding. A further 68 chargeable warnings were issued for not wearing a seatbelt (39 cases related to adults and 21 cases to minors) and for not using an approved child seat (8 cases), which is mandatory for the transport of children aged 3 to 17 years with a height of less than 150 cm. In this context, we would like to remind you once again of the rules in force for the transport of children by car, which are available on the ACL website.

The following advice from the Automobile Club is aimed at drivers and parents alike, so that everyone is well prepared for the start of the new school year.

Advice for parents who drive their children to school

• To avoid an accumulation of cars around schools and thus creating additional dangers for schoolchildren, drop children off at some distance from the school (car park, drop-off point provided by the local authority especially for schoolchildren, etc.) to give them the opportunity to make the short walk to school.
• Get children on and off the pavement on the school side and insist that they look carefully before getting out of the vehicle.
• Never double-park or double-stop.
• Always buckle up children and teach them to do it themselves, even for short distances.
• Consider organising a roundabout with other parents in the neighbourhood. This will reduce traffic around the school.
• Never make U-turns or any complicated manoeuvres near the school.

Tips for parents who walk their children to school

• Walk your child to school several times before school starts, to make sure that he or she has memorised the places and points requiring extra attention (pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, car parks, etc.). Repetition reinforces good behaviour. Make sure that the child does not walk on the side of the road.
• Teach children that seeing and being seen are two different things: just because they see a car doesn’t mean that the driver has seen them too.
• Choose the safest route to school, even if it’s not the shortest. But this route should never or almost never be taken by other children. Finding a number of children on the same route puts motorists on their guard, and the child in the company of other schoolchildren feels reassured.
• Take an interest in what the child is saying. If they talk about events that happened on the way to school, listen carefully to the problems they describe. Take the child seriously and give a precise answer.
• Make sure the child has enough time to get to school. If you say to your child: ‘Run now, hurry up and get there on time’, you are literally inviting him or her not to pay attention.
• Choose bright clothes so that your child stands out in traffic. Light-coloured coats with reflective strips are ideal for winter (stickers and reflective items are available from the ACL Service Shop).

Advice for parents whose children cycle to school:

• From the age of 10, children’s peripheral vision becomes sufficiently developed to assess speeds and distances, which is essential for road traffic. However, children also need to have a perfect command of how to use their bike and the rules of the road before they decide to let them make these daily journeys independently. Things to consider:
• Cycle with your child in all types of traffic (town or village, road, path) to make sure they have the necessary control to cycle on their own. Alternatively, schools provide this training and issue cycling tests; you can consult the teaching staff to find out whether your child is deemed fit to cycle alone.
• The same safety rules on visibility apply to child cyclists as to child pedestrians.
• Regularly check the condition of your child’s bike so that he or she always takes to the road with a cycle in perfect working order (lighting system, brakes, correctly inflated tyres, audible bell, etc.).
• Ensure that wearing a helmet is automatic for the child on any cycle journey, whatever the distance.

Advice for drivers:

• Children’s reactions are unpredictable. You should be particularly attentive and moderate your speed when approaching a school or an area frequented by many children.
• Slow down immediately when you see a child along the road. A few seconds later, the child could be in your path.
• Avoid overtaking a bus at its stop. Children (and adults) can cross in front of the bus and suddenly jump out in front of our car.
• Keep a lateral distance of more than one metre when overtaking children on bicycles, as they may swerve unexpectedly.
• Never make a U-turn or any complicated manoeuvre near a school or an area frequented by many children.