Parent taxis: Associations call for renunciation – parents demand improvements in public transport

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School in Germany: »Elternhaltestelle«

Photo: Sebastian Kahnert / picture alliance

Motorcades, parking in the second row and risky turning maneuvers in front of schools are often part of everyday morning life. According to an ADAC survey, about one in five children is dropped off by car in front of school in the morning. "This may seem understandable from the parents' point of view, but it carries a certain safety risk due to this chaos in front of the school," says ADAC spokesman Andreas Hölzel.

The so-called parent taxis have been a controversial topic for years: they are dangerous, harmful to the environment, and deprive children of their independence, is often the criticism. This year, too, several associations are calling for parents to be dispensed with.

For example, a joint statement by the German Children's Fund, the German Traffic Club and the Association of Education and Training states: Covering the way to school on foot, by bike or scooter provides the children with a physical balance to the long periods of sitting at school. They are more awake and concentrated in the morning and can follow the lessons better. In addition, parent taxis lead to a confusing traffic chaos in front of the schools every day, which can quickly become dangerous.

Appeal to parents

"The potential danger depends heavily on the local conditions," says Heiner Sothmann of the German Road Safety Association (DVW). "But the cause is usually a space problem, because there are simply many cars that want to be in one place at the same time. If the school is located on a particularly narrow street or in an area with high traffic, conflicts inevitably arise."

In addition, there would be time pressure, as the offspring have to sit in the classroom on time and the parents may have to go to work themselves. "Unfortunately, tense nerves, impatience, stress and hectic pace often lead to carelessness and aggressive behavior," says Sothmann.

The Verkehrswacht and the ADAC therefore appeal to parents to introduce their own children to road traffic at an early age and to let them complete the way to school independently. "It's also in the interest of the students if they become independent participants in road traffic at an early age," says Hölzel. "The sooner they learn this, the safer children and later as adults will be able to move in traffic."

»The parents' taxi is not always avoidable«

However, parents' representatives point out that it is not equally easy for families to do without the parents' taxi everywhere. "We have to make a clear distinction between urban and rural areas," says Christiane Gotte, chairwoman of the Federal Parents' Council. In cities, where local public transport is greatly developed and most families are well connected, school transport is usually not a problem. "At this point, parents simply have to be made even more aware of environmental protection and the existing infrastructure," says Gotte.

In rural areas, however, the situation is completely different. The nearest bus stop is not always easy to reach, and public transport is often only free of charge from a certain distance between school and home. "Of course, the parents' taxi is the most cost-effective and convenient option," says Gotte. "Parents drive to work anyway, especially in poorly connected districts, because using public transport would usually more than double the travel time." It goes without saying that dropping off the child at school for a short time on the way there.

With a petition, the Federal Parents' Council is calling on the federal government to allow pupils throughout Germany to use public transport free of charge. This is because there are major differences between the federal states with regard to school transport and the corresponding assumption of costs.

According to a recently published ADAC survey, 59 percent of the parents surveyed think that dangerous traffic situations arise when too many cars stop in front of schools. Even 41 percent of parents who regularly drive their offspring to school see it that way. In the warm months, 17 percent of children are mainly brought to school by car, and in autumn and winter 22 percent.

"The parents' taxi is not always avoidable," says DVW spokesman Sothmann. But the chaos in front of the school gate can be avoided. "If you absolutely have to take your child to school by car, you can still get off at a safe place some distance away and let him or her walk the rest of the way alone." The ADAC also recommends so-called pick-up and drop-off zones in this context.

wit/dpa