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In The Great Good Place, Ray Oldenburg observed that the suburban dream was not good for young people: “He explains the disconnect between youths and adults, where they no longer encounter one another frequently, casually and informally.” The effects of car-dependent residential development have been exacerbated by fears of child-abduction, so that many children no longer walk, bike, or take the bus independently. The results can be social isolation or only on-line friends, as well as lack of exercise leading to childhood obesity. And transporting children is often the justification for larger cars, as well as reducing time available for parents to engage in other activities.
Living in a car-dependent area increases the pressure to begin driving as soon as legally allowed, despite all the evidence that many teenagers are not mature enough to operate an automobile safely. “Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group.” Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet.
Meanwhile, we maintain a separate transportation system that serves only to move children between home and school. By contrast, in some communities, students ride public transit, which improves ridership numbers and adds access to other destinations, and also reduces the expense of school buses. And in the past, many more students walked or biked:
- • In 1969, 42 percent of children 5 to 18 years of age walked or biked to school.
- • In 2001, 16 percent of children 5 to 18 years of age walked or biked to school.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kids Walk-to-School: Then and Now -- Barriers and Solutions.
Tags: childhood obesity | kids | school buses | social isolation | students | teenage drivers | teens |
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