Getting to school by scooter has become increasingly popular with children, especially with children not yet able to cycle.
- Scooting encourages active travel from an early age and develops skills which will also help with cycling such as steering, stopping and balancing.
- As well as being fun, it encourages children to exercise. Scooting to and from school contributes towards their recommended hour of physical activity each day, enabling them to keep fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
- Scooting also helps reduce the number of cars on the school run, therefore easing congestion at the school gate.
- It can be especially effective with nursery level children who have not yet started cycling to school as it’s faster than walking and fun!
- It’s an ideal form of transport; healthy, environmentally friendly and inexpensive for parents.
- Pupils who scoot or cycle are more confident, more independent and perform better at school!
- Scooting is fun, scooter travel is free, and parents can even join in!
Do
- Wear a helmet (knee, elbow pads and wrist protectors are also a good idea)
- Be seen. Wear bright or fluorescent clothing during the day, and reflective materials in the dark.
- Check your scooter regularly to make sure it is in good working condition. Does the brake work properly? Do the wheels spin correctly? Do the handlebars turn smoothly?
- Be courteous and aware of other people. Pavements, streets and roads are used by lots of other people who are walking, bicycling, skateboarding and driving, so always look around carefully to see where they are.
- Be particularly careful on hills as scooters can pick up speed quickly.
- Look out for changes in path surfaces as this might cause you to go quicker or slower than you expect.
- Be heard. Attach a bell to your scooter, roads and pavements are noisy, so it’s important that other people can hear you coming. Please remember, it is important to be considerate, having a bell is no excuse for scooting at speed and using it to tell people to get out of the way.
- Always listen for cars as they might be reversing out of their driveway.
- Keep away from scooting on the edge of the pavement; always scoot on the inside away from the road.
- Push your scooter or scoot at walking pace on crowded pavements
- Always stop, look and listen before crossing any road, and if possible use a designated crossing point
Don't
- Do not use scooters on the road at any time. Stop at the kerb, dismount from your scooter and push your scooter when crossing the road.
- Do not use scooters in the dark as they do not have lights or reflectors and are difficult to see.
- Do not scoot too fast on pavements. Control your speed; the faster you go, the longer time you will need to come to a stop and you (or someone coming towards you) might not have the space to slow down!
- Do not carry things balanced on the handlebars.