Overview

• A new state decree gives municipalities clearer legal authority to create time-limited school streets and permanent school zones.
• Transport Minister Winfried Hermann said such measures were already possible but underused, urging local authorities and schools to act with support from trained advisers.
• The ministry recorded 378 school-route accidents last year, down from 423 in 2023, though it remains unclear how often chauffeuring parents were involved.
• ADAC Stiftung reports that about one in four primary-school children is usually driven to school, a practice road-safety groups say undermines independence and traffic skills.
• A joint survey found roughly 170 cars arrive at peak times at a 1,000-pupil school, prompting recommendations such as designated drop-off points for walking the final stretch.