So what is all this fuss about travelling to school?
More and more children are being driven to school by their parents then ever before. This means that there are far less children walking or cycling to school.
Why could this be a bad thing?
Several reasons! For example:
Pollution
Have you heard of global warming? 22% of greenhouse gases in the UK are emitted from road traffic, almost a quarter of all the greenhouse gasses produced by the UK – and this is going up.
Health
Car emissions are linked to asthma and other respiratory diseases – emissions are often particularly bad around school gates as a result of parents leaving the car engine running when dropping off their children.
Road Traffic Accidents
Cars can also cause accidents – road traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of death for children aged under 16 in the UK.
Exercise
If you are sitting in a car what are you not getting? Exercise! Almost a third of all boys and girls do not get enough activity – a survey for Hertfordshire county council showed that boys and girls who walked or cycled to school, on average, used more calories than during their 2 hour PE lesson!
