VCÖ urges families to practise school routes before term starts

Austria’s mobility organisation VCÖ has urged families in Burgenland to practise the school route with children before the new school year begins, ORF’s Burgenland news site reported.

Seven school-route accidents were recorded in Burgenland in 2025, with the children involved suffering minor injuries. According to a current VCÖ analysis based on data from Statistics Austria, Burgenland was the only Austrian province where no child was seriously injured in a school-route accident.

School routes are considered safer than routes taken during leisure time, partly because of measures such as school crossing guards and traffic-calming measures. Primary school children in particular usually have short routes that can be walked, allowing them to learn how to behave correctly in traffic.

The VCÖ said families should practise the route especially thoroughly with pupils who are moving to a different school. Any dangerous spots can be reported to the municipality or the school administration.