Safer routes to school

The safer routes to school initiative promotes safer and healthier ways of getting to and from school with particular emphasis on walking and cycling. To achieve this, we need to improve conditions (both in safety and the environment) on the main walking and cycling routes to school. Schemes can include physical measures such as safer crossing points and may involve work within the school grounds.

Projects involve the investigation of school travel patterns. These are usually carried out with the commitment to a school travel plan. This identifies engineering and educational measures required to improve safety and reduce car use on the route between home and school.

These measures can be considered as part of a safer routes project and may include:

• pedestrian crossings, improved pavements
• School Streets, traffic calming, parking restrictions
• cycle routes and cycle parking
• road safety education, training and publicity
• health information
• personal security advice

If you live close enough, encourage your children to walk to school. It will help them keep fit, be alert and become more streetwise. You can also provide bright and reflective clothing, supportive shoes and a bright backpack. 

Walking bus

For younger children, either walk with your children or get together with other parents and take it in turns to accompany other children (this is often called a walking bus). A walking bus is an initiative to encourage more children, accompanied by adults, to walk to school. This can reduce traffic and congestion outside schools.

Walking as a group and using an agreed route, the children are under the supervision of at least 2 responsible adults – a driver and conductor – who are known to the school. Any volunteers involved with a walking bus have to complete a police criminal background check.

Some walking buses operate every school day while others operate 1 or 2 days a week; this depends on the number of adult volunteers involved. Our Road Safety Team will risk-assess routes and provide necessary training for all volunteers. Children and adults involved in a walking bus must wear reflective vests, which are supplied free of charge by the Road Safety Office.

Child road safety and child cycling

Children should be aware of the Green Cross Code. 

If your child is a cyclist, the bicycle must be the right size for your child; if it is too big or small, it is dangerous. To check, make sure your child can touch the ground with both feet.

Children under the age of 9 should not be allowed to cycle alone on roads. As soon as your child is old enough, make sure they are trained on a safe cycling course.

Children in cars

Injuries to children in cars can be significantly reduced with the use of a suitable child restraint.

There is a wide range of child restraints available. You must make sure they meet the latest safety regulations and buy new restraints because second-hand seats may have been damaged. If a seat has been damaged, it could cause serious injuries to a child.

Do not under any circumstances use any child car seat on a passenger seat fitted with an airbag (unless your manufacturer has said it is safe for the airbag to be disabled). Read more about car seat safety.

Road safety for pre-school children – ages 1 to 4

Small children cannot cope with traffic on their own. Your child should always be accompanied by a responsible adult.

When you go out with your child, make sure they walk on the inside of the pavement, keeping tight hold of their hand. It is a good idea to talk to your child about the importance of stopping at the kerb and looking and listening.

Key points to remember are:

• Children learn by example
• Talk to your child about roads and traffic and explain that small or slow vehicles can be just as dangerous as big or fast ones
• Explain and show your child the difference between roads and pavements, explaining that roads are for traffic, pavements are for people to walk on

Primary and Junior school children – ages 5 to 10

Whenever you take your child out walking, tell them what you are doing and why. Practice crossing the road safely on quiet roads near your home. First show them what to do. Then let your child lead you across; finally let them cross the road while you wait behind watching carefully.

Once you are confident that your child knows how to cross quiet roads safely, start practising on busier roads together. Make sure that you test them many times before letting them cross roads alone.

Your child should know the Green Cross Code by this time.

Secondary school children – ages 11 to 16

This is the age where children are at greater risk on roads. When your child first starts secondary school they might be travelling on their own for the first time, and they will probably be travelling longer distances. You are the best person to prepare them for this.

Make sure your child is comfortable with the route they have to take, which transport they need to use and what to do if that transport is not running. Encourage them to think for themselves and not be led by others.