6 ms·

I walked to school 3 kilometeres one way since the first grade (6 years old). Nowadays I've seen kids of the same age who can't even tie their shoes. It is even

I walked to school 3 kilometeres one way since the first grade (6 years old). Nowadays I've seen kids of the same age who can't even tie their shoes. It is even more concerning considering authorities are actually reinforcing this. The world did not become more violent or dangerous, but somehow people became more scared and paranoid.

tonyedgecombe 8y ago
The one thing that has got much worse is traffic, there are many more cars on the roads and they tend to be much bigger. I liked to let my kids road around when they were young but playing with the traffic didn't seem like a good idea.
- arcosdev 8y ago
  Yup. As a parent, traffic, specifically distracted driver traffic, scares the living hell out of me. Pretty much everything else I don't worry about.
- thomasfedb 8y ago
  In Australia we have crossing guards ('lollipop men') on the roads near schools to stop the cars. Pretty safe for most kids to walk from early primary onwards.
- avar 8y ago
  > The one thing that has got much worse is traffic Where has traffic gotten much worse? E.g. here's the US statistics on traffic deaths since the 1920s: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/US_traffic_deaths_per_VMT%2C_VMT%2C_per_capita%2C_and_total_annual_deaths.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/US_traff... In terms of absolute numbers traffic deaths today are at the same level as the 1950s, but as the chart also shows the population has more than doubled. Statistics in any developed western country are likely to look the same. Traffic deaths per million people are down to the levels of the 1920s, where there were much fewer cars, and the 1920s are a period where it would have been typical to kick your kids out at sunrise and expect them to be back before sundown. We live in the safest period in human history, parents are just being paranoid.
  - tonyedgecombe 8y ago
    Vehicle miles travelled has gone through the roof in that time, look at the blue line on your chart. parents are just being paranoid Or perhaps they are behaving rationally given the amount of traffic on the roads, those figures might have been worse otherwise.
    - avar 8y ago
      Distance traveled has gone through the roof, but at the same time deaths per million people has been going down. Clearly "the amount of traffic on the roads" isn't a rational indicator for how paranoid you should be about traffic.
      - tonyedgecombe 8y ago
        No it isn't clear, the obvious answer is parents reacted to a risk and in doing so kept their children safe.
- Broken_Hippo 8y ago
  This isn't an issue with traffic, but city planning, not allowing pedestrians to actually have the right of way, and poor policing of laws. You can build tunnels and overpasses for pedestrians. Button-operated lights for walkways. Strict laws requiring vehicles stop for pedestrians. Planned speed bumps. You can route traffic away from paths kids would likely walk. Do things so that it is more reasonable that kids will be safe in neighborhoods, even if they are playing in the road (at elementary ages, of course, when they are old enough to be aware). You can also have more public green spaces within a child's walking distance where they can play outside with others and make sure school grounds are open for play when school is not in session instead of calling the police for trespassing.

tonyedgecombe 8y ago

The one thing that has got much worse is traffic, there are many more cars on the roads and they tend to be much bigger. I liked to let my kids road around when they were young but playing with the traffic didn't seem like a good idea.

arcosdev 8y ago
Yup. As a parent, traffic, specifically distracted driver traffic, scares the living hell out of me. Pretty much everything else I don't worry about.
thomasfedb 8y ago
In Australia we have crossing guards ('lollipop men') on the roads near schools to stop the cars. Pretty safe for most kids to walk from early primary onwards.
avar 8y ago
> The one thing that has got much worse is traffic Where has traffic gotten much worse? E.g. here's the US statistics on traffic deaths since the 1920s: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/US_traffic_deaths_per_VMT%2C_VMT%2C_per_capita%2C_and_total_annual_deaths.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/US_traff... In terms of absolute numbers traffic deaths today are at the same level as the 1950s, but as the chart also shows the population has more than doubled. Statistics in any developed western country are likely to look the same. Traffic deaths per million people are down to the levels of the 1920s, where there were much fewer cars, and the 1920s are a period where it would have been typical to kick your kids out at sunrise and expect them to be back before sundown. We live in the safest period in human history, parents are just being paranoid.
- tonyedgecombe 8y ago
  Vehicle miles travelled has gone through the roof in that time, look at the blue line on your chart. parents are just being paranoid Or perhaps they are behaving rationally given the amount of traffic on the roads, those figures might have been worse otherwise.
  - avar 8y ago
    Distance traveled has gone through the roof, but at the same time deaths per million people has been going down. Clearly "the amount of traffic on the roads" isn't a rational indicator for how paranoid you should be about traffic.
    - tonyedgecombe 8y ago
      No it isn't clear, the obvious answer is parents reacted to a risk and in doing so kept their children safe.
Broken_Hippo 8y ago
This isn't an issue with traffic, but city planning, not allowing pedestrians to actually have the right of way, and poor policing of laws. You can build tunnels and overpasses for pedestrians. Button-operated lights for walkways. Strict laws requiring vehicles stop for pedestrians. Planned speed bumps. You can route traffic away from paths kids would likely walk. Do things so that it is more reasonable that kids will be safe in neighborhoods, even if they are playing in the road (at elementary ages, of course, when they are old enough to be aware). You can also have more public green spaces within a child's walking distance where they can play outside with others and make sure school grounds are open for play when school is not in session instead of calling the police for trespassing.