School Run Safety During A Pandemic
Isn’t it great for the children to be back at school? For many, it has been a very long six months; no-one was quite ready for so much home-schooling (we certainly have a newfound respect for teachers!)
Has the school run route changed for you since the March lockdown? Have you moved? Has your child changed school? Are you now having to drive your children, when before it was just a short walk?
We would agree that walking or cycling is the best method of getting to school; it’s good exercise and reduces the volume of traffic, but if your child can no longer walk, cycle or scooter to school, what things should be considered for the school commute?
Here are some useful tips for you to consider getting your children to school safely when taking the car –
Car Pool
What was once deemed as perfectly normal and a great help to other parents, car-pooling is
now not advised by the Government unless they are part of your social bubble. However, we understand that this is never always going to be possible. Here’s what we recommend for car-pooling on the school run –
- Share with the same people, don’t mix the passengers (try and create a car pool bubble)
- Keep to a minimum number of people in the car at any one time
- Open windows for ventilation if possible (not always possible if the heavens have opened)
- If possible, seat side by side or behind each other, do not face each other
- Keep a maximum distance possible between each passenger
- All passengers over the age of 11 must wear a face mask in the car
Keep your car clean
Use warm, soapy water to keep all high traffic areas of your car clean, if people outside of your bubble are sharing your car.
Pay special attention to door handles (inside and outside), seat belts, and armrests when cleaning before and after your passengers have been in your car.
We also advise that you keep antibacterial gel in your car at all times and ask your passengers to use some before they get into the car.
Parking at the school
When schools are built, parking for the parents is never considered (and rightly so – again, walking and cycling is always the best method of a school run). You may face a heap of traffic around the school with many parents already parked up in the surrounding areas of the school. No matter how pushed for time you are, never be tempted to leave the car parked in a place that’s deemed unsafe or illegal, even if it is just for five minutes. Never park on double yellow lines, across someone’s driveway, or on a pavement, and ensure you are never blocking the view of pedestrians who need to cross the road.
Turn your engine off
When you’re waiting for the children to come out of school, don’t leave your engine running for a quick getaway. Keep emissions as low as possible around the school and all of the children that shall be leaving at that time.
Watch your speed
Be extra vigilant when driving through the surrounding areas of your child’s school. Many children will be running, cycling, scootering, and probably not paying much attention to the roads on the way to school. Parents with younger children in pushchairs may be crossing the roads with their school children in tow. It’s best just to keep lower than the speed limit and keep your eyes peeled. Be safe.
Combine your journeys
To avoid too many short journeys in your car, try and combine the school drop off with other journeys you may need to do. A car’s health is always happier when on long journeys rather than multiple short ones.