After the summer holidays, there is a peak in the number of road casualties due to collisions between motorists and students who ride bicycles.  Every day, almost two school classes full of children report for treatment at the emergency room. 

With the campaign 'the schools have started again' the municipality calls [to be completed] together with Safe Traffic Netherlands all road users to pay extra attention to each other so that children come safely to school. The campaign starts one week before the start of the schools and two weeks after.  

Getting used to everyone.

After the summer holidays, children get used to cycling to school. For a  some of them are the first time that they have gone to school without parental guidance. The protective wings of the father or mother are exchanged for friends, including the additional distraction. Children who first go to secondary school cycle a new route with unknown traffic situations for their new route. 

Going back to school after the holidays is exciting and with all the new impressions it is difficult to keep 100% attention. Also for motorists it takes some getting used to after a relatively quiet period on the road. 

Help prevent road accidents.

As a motorist you can take extra account of cycling students by leaving on time and therefore less rushed and not driving too fast. Furthermore, it helps by storing your phone out of your own reach, so that you are not tempted to check a message or take a phone call. 

It also helps if you bring children to school on foot or by bicycle more often. And do you have a child who goes to first grade? Then it is wise to practice the new route together and to discuss the dangerous points together. 

Increase figures.

After the summer holidays, the number of road accidents between motorists and schoolchildren is increasing. Recent figures from Statistics Netherlands (Statline, CBS, 2018) show that in 2017, despite a slight decrease in the total number of road fatalities, the number of bicycle fatalities exceeded the number of car fatalities for the first time (206 bicycle fatalities compared to 201 car fatalities). 

Research by the Road Safety Research Foundation shows that the number of serious road injuries has increased by an average of 1,9% per year over the past ten years. Part of this concerns children going to school.

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