?Many parents in the Cape Metropole, especially those in lower-income areas, are deeply concerned about the safety of their children when they travel to school.
A new study conducted by researchers from the Department of Civil Engineering and the Department of Economics at Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 examined how worried parents in the Cape Metropole are about their children's safety on roads in different areas. It also identified factors contributing to their worries.
Their findings were published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies recently.
Since they wanted to give parents an opportunity for their voices to be heard, the researchers surveyed parents of children from 19 schools in lower-income and higher-income areas across the Cape Metropole. They asked them how worried they are about the safety of children on the roads in their area and about the specific factors that make these areas unsafe for their children on the way to and from school. The schools were divided into Group A (areas with frequent pedestrian crashes) and Group B (areas with no recent crashes involving pedestrians).
“What was interesting was that the results show that most parents are worried about their children's safety on their way to school, irrespective of the area. Over forty percent (43,8%) of parents in the sample reported being 'very worried' or 'a little worried' (42,3%). Only a small group (13%) was 'not worried at all'.
“However, parents in areas with many accidents (Group A) were significantly more worried than those in areas with fewer accidents (Group B)."
The researchers add that parents of children who walk to school expressed the highest level of concern. Those whose children use public transport are also more worried than parents of children who use private transport.
“In the Group A schools, more than three quarters (77,4%) of the children walked to school while a small number (9,1%) travelled by taxis or in private cars. In contrast, the majority of the children (95,9%) in Group B arrived by private vehicle, with only a handful walking or using a minibus taxi."
The researchers point out that traffic conditions are a major concern for parents in both groups, with speeding vehicles, reckless driving, poor infrastructure, and heavy traffic being key issues. Security concerns also persist across both groups, including crime, gangsterism, insufficient policing, and lack of child supervision.
But there were some differences between the groups, according to the researchers. “Whereas parents in Group B were mostly concerned about unsafe driving and traffic issues and minibus taxis, those in Group A were worried about crime and security issues, unsafe driving, social problems in the neighbourhood and the lack of sidewalks.
“Parents of children who walk to school, particularly those from lower-socioeconomic communities, expressed the most concerns about the lack of sidewalks and lighting, as well as poorly placed crossings – a concern also shared by parents of children who bike to school. In contrast, parents of children in Group B schools were less critical of the physical environment, focusing more on general road safety risks posed by other drivers."
The researchers say although parents are worried about the way their children travel to school, there isn't a lot they can do on their own to improve the situation. They need targeted interventions.
“Parents called for better road safety enforcement, particularly against drunk drivers and minibus taxis, along with creative solutions like safe sidewalks, including improved road signage, pedestrian crossings, and better speed management (through lower speed limits, traffic lights and the introduction of speed humps), walking buses and improved school transport. Their concerns about safer roads for their children should be acknowledged and integrated into initiatives to improve safety measures."
- Source: Sinclair, M., Du Plessis, S.W.F., Jansen, A.I. et al. Parent Concerns Around Road Safety of Children En Route to School – A Study from the Western Cape, South Africa. Journal of Child and Family Studies (2025). doi.org/10.1007/s10826-024-02976-y?
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