Watch out, Bavaria! The start of school brings new dangers in traffic!

Watch out, Bavaria! The start of school brings new dangers in traffic!

The start of school in Bavaria on September 17, 2025 will usher in a new phase of life for many children. Especially for the youngest children, this means having to walk to school all alone for the first time. This brings both excitement and uncertainty, as road traffic is often unfamiliar territory, especially for younger students. The authorities are therefore calling on all road users to exercise the necessary caution when driving, especially near schools, daycare centers and bus stops. Bayern.de therefore reports on important behaviors that must be observed:

• Reduzierte Geschwindigkeit in sensiblen Bereichen
• Anhalten am Zebrastreifen und Blickkontakt mit Kindern aufnehmen
• Genügend Abstand zu Schulbussen und Radfahrenden halten
• Vorsicht an Ein- und Ausfahrten sowie konsequenter Schulterblick

In order to ensure the safety of students, the police will have an increased presence at schools and on school routes in the coming days. The goal: to avoid accidents and raise awareness of road safety.

The way to school as a place of learning

For many children, the walk to school is the first long distance they travel unaccompanied. So that they can travel safely and independently, schools provide traffic education in the first grade. Because how dguv-lug.de explains, these lessons not only impart specialist knowledge about the traffic situation around the school, but also social skills such as communicating with other road users.

As part of traffic education, children learn, for example, the meaning of red and green traffic lights, how to distinguish between left and right and how to behave correctly at bus stops. Parents and teachers should work closely together and support students in learning - including through games and exercises that promote motor skills.

Security statistics alarming

But despite all efforts, the numbers remain alarming. In 2024, 27,261 children had road accidents in Germany, and tragically, 53 of them lost their lives. BMV.de gives the exact circumstances: 21 children died as pedestrians, the same number as passengers in cars. These frightening statistics illustrate how important it is to educate children early on about the dangers of road traffic.

In order to increase safety, various programs support traffic education for children. The German Road Safety Council (DVR) offers free events for parents, and campaigns such as “Safe to School” help to optimally prepare children for the journey to school. In addition, the BMV is offering new traffic education films that are intended to appeal to parents and children at the same time.

In this sense, the journey to school is not only a route to education, but also a learning place for lively traffic education, where children take their first steps towards greater independence and at the same time get to know the streets in their surroundings better.