Write a commentChildren going to school in NI are increasingly taking to cars to get there with less walking and virtually none cycling even a short distance to school.
That's according to the latest statistics from a Department for Infrastructure survey "Method of Travel to/from school by pupils in Northern Ireland 2017/18"
Among primary school pupils, almost two thirds (65%) were driven to/from school by car and just over a quarter (26%) usually walked to/from school.
A further 9% of pupils travelled to/from school by bus, while 1% of pupils cycled as their main mode of transport to and from school.
These results are similar to 2016/17, however there has been a decrease in walking, and conversely an increase in those travelling by car since 2013/14.
Among post primary pupils, 50% travelled to/from school by bus as their main mode of transport and a further 31% were driven by car.
Under a fifth (16%) of pupils walked to/from school while a small proportion took the train (2%).
These results are similar to 2016/17. However the longer term trend shows a decrease in walking and increase in car travel since 2013/14.
Over half (54%) of primary pupils living up to 1 mile from their school were driven to/from school by car/van/taxi while a further 45% walked and a small proportion (1%) travelled by bus.
