Darkness, wet, cold and time pressure: seemingly good arguments when it comes to getting the kids to school. This is all the more true if they have little experience of road traffic. Many people are not aware that this convenience regularly leads to dangerous situations at schools. This is why the public order office once again organized the Road Safety Week at seven Offenbach schools this year as part of its community prevention work.
In the last two weeks of November, teachers, parents and, of course, pupils were out and about in front of the schools at the start and end of school, rewarding parents who brought their children to school on foot with homemade hearts, chocolates and roses. Sad smileys and lemons were given especially to parents who came by car and then stopped illegally or obstructed traffic and caused dangerous situations.
City police officers were always on site for these dicey cases. Unfortunately, they actually had to take action in 13 cases and initiate misdemeanor proceedings. In 15 cases, they only issued a verbal warning. Three of the offenders were particularly unruly and described the action as unnecessary.
An unleashed, possibly even dangerous dog, which was caught by the city police and handed over to the visibly overwhelmed dog owner, also caused a stir in the morning hustle and bustle. The specialist department of the public order office is now taking further steps.
"In addition to the school route inspections by the state police, the Road Safety Week is an important building block for greater safety at and in front of Offenbach's primary and special schools. The special thing about the campaign is that not only are parents made aware of their misconduct in a charming way, but the children also learn something about how to behave in road traffic. That is why it is particularly important to me as head of the schools and public order department that the campaign, in which the children are absolutely in the foreground, takes place every year," says city councillor Paul-Gerhard Weiß.
As in the past thirteen years, the Public Order Office invited Offenbach's primary and special schools to take part in the joint road safety week and supported them in its implementation. The Eichendorffschule, Friedrich-Ebert-Schule, Beethovenschule, Waldschule Tempelsee, Grundschule Buchhügel, Uhlandschule and Humboldtschule all took part.
"We would like to thank the teachers, parents and, of course, the children, who were once again committed to organizing the campaign this year. We see again and again how important educational work is and appeal to the children to walk to school. Especially in the inner city area, this is usually only a few minutes' walk," says Daniel Krüger from the Municipal Prevention Office and warns: "In future, it won't just be a few words, but parent cabs must expect consequences."