Overview

• One in five children feel unsafe on the way to school and one in eight encounter weekly danger linked to parent drop-offs, a Forsa survey for DKHW, VCD and VBE finds.
• Advocates urge school streets that bar cars at start and finish times, with Tempo 30, safer crossings, bike lanes and clear no-stopping rules as standard.
• Campaigners say many German municipalities lack the legal levers to implement measures quickly, citing Austria’s school-street law and calling for changes to the Straßenverkehrsordnung.
• ADAC notes roughly a fifth of pupils are driven to school, creating queues and risky maneuvers, while the Verkehrswacht stresses local space constraints and time pressure as key risk factors.
• Parent representatives highlight structural drivers for car use such as long rural routes, unreliable public transport and tight work schedules, pointing to the need for better transit, safer paths and family-friendly policies.