With the start of the new school year, many parents will be driving their children to and from school. So-called “parent taxis” pose a significant safety risk if drivers fail to follow traffic rules and park on sidewalks, in double rows, or in no-parking zones. Parents and guardians endanger their children when, for example, they ask them to get out of a stopped car onto the street.
To improve the situation outside elementary schools and minimize the danger to children posed by the many—often illegally—parked cars belonging to parents, the City of Salzgitter and the elementary schools are urging parents to avoid driving their children to school whenever possible:
“Encourage your children’s independence. Walk part of the way together and let your child walk the last few meters on their own.”
After all, “parent taxis” do not promote children’s independence; rather, they endanger their safety.
What can parents do?
Even during the summer break, parents can walk the route to school with their children, learn traffic rules in a playful way, and share the excitement of going back to school.
Important:
The Safety, Law and Order of the City of Salzgitter will be on duty in front of elementary schools during the three-week campaign from August 17 to September 4, 2026, with various teams of traffic wardens and municipal law enforcement officers to step up monitoring of school routes, raise parents’ awareness, and provide information.
As part of the school curriculum, the Salzgitter/Peine/Wolfenbüttel Police Department regularly conducts traffic safety education at elementary schools. Various activities, such as the “pedestrian license,” scooter training, or the bicycle safety test, are designed to help children participate safely in traffic.
Further information:
Since the beginning of 2025, the city of Salzgitter has stepped up traffic enforcement near schools and hired additional staff to ensure a consistent presence, particularly at elementary schools within the city limits.
In 2025, 1,165 violations of the Road Traffic Regulations (STVO) were penalized during 355 inspections conducted outside schools.
So far this year, there have been 308 checks outside schools and 999 violations of the Road Traffic Regulations (STVO) (as of July 1, 2026).
Many parents view the checks very positively. Unfortunately, parents who are made aware of their misconduct or are penalized for it often react with a lack of understanding—and in some cases aggressively—toward law enforcement officers and vigilant teachers.
Illegal parking on the shoulder or sidewalk, as well as unauthorized double-parking and stopping, currently result in a fine of 55.00 euros according to the nationwide catalog of offenses. Higher fines may be imposed if others are endangered. Parking, stopping, or turning on private property or in the teachers’ parking spaces is also prohibited.