Walking/Biking To School is Good For Children

"Your child is snuggly strapped in with a seat belt in the back seat and being chauffeured to school. It's hard to think of your child as enjoying anything other than a safe, even privileged life, especially when after-school activities are likely to be reached in similar four-wheeled luxury.

You might want to think again.

Some of the most polluted places in our cities are in front of schools, in large part because of the idling cars of parents dropping off their kids. Children are more vulnerable to air pollution than adults because they breathe faster and inhale more air for each kilogram of body weight. Being inside a car is no protection from air pollution either. The International Center for Technology Assessment reports that exposure to most auto pollutants is higher inside vehicles than at the side of the road."...