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Excellent point.. in these places it is not normal to ever travel from point A to point B without getting in a car. Anyone walking is suspect.

It's bizarre. Where I live the police are not insane like this but people will still be shocked if they find out you walked 1/2 mile instead of taking a car.

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It's not even just about children.

When I went to the US for a research visit, I didn't have a car, because my bed and breakfast was in walking distance to the lab (there was even a bus). So, naturally, I walked to a nearby restaurant in the evening, and was stopped by the police, asking me what I was up to. It didn't have any consequences, but still.

That must be common. I remember many years ago I was walking to the Google MTV campus from a corp apartment in Mountain View itself. It's a fair walk, maybe an hour. I was doing it because it was sunny and why not. A cop car pulled over and asked if I was OK. They were friendly but the only apparent cause of this visit was that I was walking. I found that deeply strange.

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