There and Back Again: Safety and Health on the Journey to School

Abstract

Active school transportation (AST) has been associated with children attaining more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and a healthier BMI.

National Safe Routes to School program and risk of school-age pedestrian and bicyclist injury

“…29 There is also concern that some of the decline in pediatric pedestrian risk may have come at the expense of healthy, active behaviors. 8,9 It is becoming increasingly apparent that the national SRTS program has been successful in encouraging active travel and in addressing parents’ concerns about their children’s safety getting to and from school. 12, 30 The results of this study further support the second perception.…”

“…8,9 In response to these concerns, the US Congress funded the federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program in 2005 as part of the federal Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act. The program was intended to encourage children to walk and bike to school and was allocated $612 million for fiscal years 2005 to 2009 for state departments of transportation to build sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and safe crossings and to improve the built environment to allow children to more safely travel to school.…”

Association of the Safe Routes to School program with school-age pedestrian and bicyclist injury risk in Texas

“…An estimated 23% of children struck by cars will suffer psychological sequelae (Mayr et al 2003). Concern about the potential dangers of walking and biking may contribute to childhood obesity and its attendant morbidities (Liu and Mendoza 2014; Pollack 2009). …”