Study highlights gaps in safe commute to schools

A national study on safe commute to school conducted by SaveLIFE Foundation and Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India has highlighted gaps in road safety for children. The authors considered responses of 11,845 people, including 5,711 children and 6,134 parents, across 14 cities in India, including Bengaluru.

A little less than half (47%) of the respondents using school transport admitted that the vehicles were not equipped with seat belts. Around 34% of respondents using two-wheelers said that their children did not wear helmets. The study also said that 30% of children had witnessed a crash during their commute to school and 6% were themselves involved in a road crash or a near miss during their commute to and from school.

More than half of the parents who participated in the survey reported that the school authorities had taken no action on the safety concerns which include overcrowding in school vehicles, congestion near the school, and overspeeding by drivers in the school zone.

SaveLIFE Foundation Founder and CEO, Piyush Tewari, in a press release said, “As of date, over 25 states and Union Territories have announced the reopening of schools. While there is a vaccine for COVID-19, the vaccine for child deaths on our roads is really our collective action. Our findings through this report have once again emphasised that the right to a safe commute to school is as important as the right to education itself. A comprehensive national and state school transport safety policy can ensure that.”