A generation ago, a majority of US children walked or biked to school.

Today, most children take the bus or are driven. Only 1 out of every 8 children gets to school on their own two feet. This quiet shift of norms is taking a tremendous toll on our communities.

• Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions due in part to increasingly inactive lifestyles.
  
• An estimated 25% of morning traffic is parents driving their children to school.
• More cars on the street make neighborhoods seem less safe, discouraging walking and biking.
  
• Overcrowded school drop-off and pick-up areas bring pollution and traffic danger to the doorsteps of our schools.
  

Safe Routes to School programs can combat these trends by:

• bringing people together in a joyful activity.
• supporting the habit of moderate daily exercise.
  
• addressing safety concerns with structural improvements and community building.
  
• providing an open invitation for people to be deliberate about their transportation choices.
• organizing diverse community members around a unifying issue: neighborhood safety.