Am I being over protective if i drive or accompany my 6 yr old to and from School?

No, you are not being overprotective. You are doing the right thing.

Young children can get into a lot of predicaments in five blocks' time-innocent things like getting sidetracked by a snail on the sidewalk and ending up being late to more serious situations, such as not paying attention to traffic and getting hurt and, unfortunately, predators are always a concern as well.

I certainly would accompany him to school.

At 6yrs old Definitely not, that either means 1st grade/Kindergarten.

and even in a good neighborhood, there are creepers waiting. Let him mature. Especially since you said he doesn't pay enough attention to his surroundings... what if he walked down the wrong road??

Ignore co workers... They won't be laughing when their kids get picked up off the side of the road.

Take it from a teacher who knows about children's physical development. You are quite perceptive to know that your six year old does not pay close enough attention to their surrounds to walk or ride a bike to school by themselves. Crossing streets requires a degree of awareness on ones surroundings and this awareness is supported by peripheral vision. Peripheral vision is not established until a child is about age 8. But that's not the whole story of spatial awareness (the awareness of one’s self in relation to ones surroundings, i.e. cars). Physically, intellectually and socially children in westernised countries (like USA) are not fully ready to walk or ride to school unsupervised until age 10.

The best thing adults responsible for children can do at age 6 is to sure-up the child's understanding of road rules and what it means to be a safe pedestrian or cyclist. This can be done walking to and from school or on any occasion that is available to you. In Australia, where I am, it was recognised that parents wanted to do the best for their children by walking them to school (the benefit is three-fold because the children learn about road safety, establish physical exercise habits and it lessens the number of air polluting cars on the road, which is good for children in generations to come). However, walking to school twice a day is more than many parent can commit to so the program 'Walking School Bus' was established where groups of up to a dozen children are chaperoned by two police-screened volunteers on the journey to and from school. To find out more about this program please visit the link listed under 'Sources' below.

Just thought I would make it a more balanced discussion by taking an angle on this topic that does not rely on fear about stranger-danger.

Trust me, you are not being over-protective! I am 14 and in year 10 (my 2nd last year of school!) and my mum still drops me off. She doesnt let me go places on my own yet, except when she drives to the shop, then I can go in on my own! The way the world is, you cannot trust anyone. 6 is way too young. My mum says I can go out on my own when I am 16! It seems restrictive, but she is just protecting me. All the best! =)

No, Def not. I have a 9 & an 11 y/o. We live 2 blocks from school. I pick them up. The people laughing at you are ignorant. Ignore them.

Heck no! You are fine. We live across the street from my daughter's school and I won't let her walk home none of my kids for that matter.. There are a lot of sickos and crazies hanging out in school neighborhoods it doesn't matter where you live. If you are comfortable with it keep picking your baby up from school. I'm glad you are protecting your baby.:)

even bad things can happen in the best of neighbourhoods in this day and age. as a grandmother of 2 (a 5year old and 6 year old grandchildren i insist that my son keep an eye out own his kids. the good part now where he lives is great for that since his son's bus drops him off at the corner of his street and his daughters bus drops her off in their drive way.

Not at ALL! look at all the kids that are coming up missing these days and they end up going missing just a block or so from their school, work or home! until he can fully understand the dangers I think it wise to bring him to and from or at least meet him at the bus stop!

No.. He's SIX... Who would let a six-year-old walk around by himself, 5 blocks is plenty enough to get kidnapped.. Plenty of weirdos are in "Good Neighborhoods".

you're not over protective. at my elementary school, no one was aloud to walk unaccompanied, either you rode the bus or parents dropped you off. One kid lived right across the street, same rules for him everyday.