Dutch road safety group VVN is launching a new campaign calling on parents not to take their children to school by car.

The organisation says 80% of primary school children live no further than three kilometres from their school and that most schools are located in residential areas.

‘This makes walking or cycling to school the obvious option,’ VVN says. ‘Nevertheless, in practice the situation is different. We get reports about dangerous traffic situations near schools all year round, and we know head teachers are struggling with the issue.’

Research has also shown that children prefer to walk or cycle to school, VVN said.

In Amsterdam city centre, officials have instigated ‘safe school’ zones around several primary schools which involves closing the roads to motorised traffic at the start and end of the school day.