Safe Routes to School (SRTS) began as a European phenomenon about thirty years ago and caught on in New York City in 1997. In the 1970s, Denmark had Europe’s highest child pedestrian accident rate. Implementing the first Safe Routes to School program, planners in Denmark identified specific road dangers around the country’s schools and took steps to remedy the hazards. Since 1970, the child pedestrian crash rate has dropped by 80% in Denmark.
