I used to dread the pick-up and the drop-off. As a step-parent, I was thrown into the social driving circle with no education in pick-up safety or etiquette. Despite this trial by fire, I seem to have caught on to a few things that some other parents have not (from what I have seen). Here we go. . .

The drop-off:

1. If it is a school or day-care, find out the drop-off traffic direction and if it is the same for rainy or snowy days. Some have a covered spot for inclement weather and if you don't know where it is you will panic.
   
2. If your child is excited about where you are leaving him, and old enough to get out of the car by himself, be careful that he doesn't do so before the car has stopped. This is a great way to get a foot run over and a heart attack. I insist that the kids wait until they see put the car in parking gear before they are allowed to even unlock the door.
3. If your child is not excited about where you are going, still try to get them safely out of the car as quickly as is reasonable. You can count on at least three other cars behind you being piloted by someone who is late for something. Remember, for safety's sake, if you tick off another driver, especially one in a rush, in two minutes they will be driving like a maniac through a school zone full of kids at the busiest time of day.
4. Do not talk on the phone during the drop-off. Pedestrian kids are unpredictable as are late drivers. Also see #2.
5. Do not talk out the window of your vehicle while you are in line. Meet for coffee or tea afterwards. See #2.
6. Do not use fancy maneuvering to finagle yourself a better spot in line. This not only guarantees a traffic jam, but other parents will remember your car and never let you merge in again. Instead, leave yourself a little extra time for waiting. Use it to bond with your child, or listen to the radio.
7. Make sure they get where they are going. Pull out of the prime position (or if you are stuck behind numbers 2, 3, 4 or 5 you will have plenty of time anyway) and watch your child walk through the doors of wherever they are supposed to be. If it is a party or after-school activity, pull into a parking space and give them 5 or so minutes to make sure it hasn't been cancelled or rescheduled and your child left stranded with no way to get home for 2 hours. Let them know how long you will wait. Chances are if something's up, they will come running back to make it before you leave. Five minutes isn't really that long when you are trying to figure out where everyone is. If the details are sketchy, walk in with them, greet the adults in charge and verify with them the pick-up details. I have more than once ended up waiting almost an hour for the supervising adult to show up at an after school function. I was very unhappy about this, but glad to know what was going on before something unpleasant happened.

The pick-up:

1. If it is a school or day-care, find out the pick-up traffic direction and if it is the same for rainy or snowy days. Some have a covered spot for inclement weather and if you don't know where it is you will really really panic. Often, the pick-up location is different from the drop-off location.
   
2. Make sure your child has actually closed his door before you move the car out of parking gear. Don't just assume. Kids love to cart things around and stuff their backpacks to the point where getting into the car is a logistical nightmare. Remember too that many cars roll back as soon as they are moved out of gear. (Our youngest has gotten a foot run over twice this way - purely accidental and I can say this because I wasn't driving either time).
3. Clear with your child before you drop them off exactly who is allowed to pick them up if you can't make it. If it is at a school or day-care, make sure the staff is on board with this and will check for IDs. Scary people snatch kids this way. By that same token, make sure your child only comes to you after they see you, not just the car. Scary people snatch kids this way too.
4. If you must stop to get out of the car to get your child (children often turn deaf when it is time to go home) pull out of the main flow of traffic and preferably into a parking space. Yelling at your child for not listening is much more effective when other drivers are not yelling at you.
5. See 4, 5 and 6 of the drop off.
6. Towels and plastic bags are always handy to have in the back seat for those days when they have been griming themselves up and sweating or swimming or having food fights. Ketchup and mustard are super nasty when they have been ground into your backseat cushions for 3 years.
7. Check for all lunch boxes and backpacks etc. that you dropped off with your child. These things tend to get switched or left behind and if left to their own devices, your child probably won't remember until you are at least 10 km away and the school has closed.
8. If you dropped off any friends, it is your responsibility to pick them up as well unless specific arrangements have been made. (Especially true for teens and pre-teens.) I've lost enough lives for three cats over finding out my kids and their friends were left to "find a ride home" with whomever after another parent has dropped them off. In my mind, this is the ultimate in irresponsibility. Also, don't let them get away with the "Oh, so-and-so is going to stay a little longer and get a ride home with her boyfriend" because you are the one who is gong to get screamed at when you find out later they have run away from home.

Good luck keeping your sanity. Remember, the goal is to return with the same kids you left home with.