What is the safest way for my child to get to school?

​" Trips by car now account for at least half of all distances traveled by 10-14 year olds and this shift is believed to account for the fact that more children are killed today as car passengers than in any other form of transport. "

​Children are considered vulnerable road users because up to the age of approximately ten years they may not be developmentally ready (i.e. they do not have the physical and cognitive skills) to make safer judgments and choices of their own about traffic. Parents, carers and educators need to be aware of the skills of the children and plan road safety awareness in accordance with the child’s development.

Child pedestrians are at risk because physically they have:

• developing peripheral vision

Children are less likely to notice objects not directly in front of them as their peripheral vision is still developing (it is one-third of an adult’s field of vision). Unless they turn their heads, they may not notice vehicles to their right or left.

• developing directional hearing

Children may often have problems working out where sounds are coming from and may expect traffic to come from the wrong direction.

• a smaller stature

Because of their size it is often difficult for drivers to see children, especially when standing between parked cars.

Child pedestrians are at risk because cognitively they have:

• a limited sense of perception

Children have trouble judging how fast a vehicle is coming towards them or just how far away a vehicle is. They may let a slow vehicle pass and then cross in front of a fast one.

• poor search behaviour and do not take sufficient time to look when crossing the road

Children like to keep moving! As a result they may not wait for stop lights to change, for cars to stop at crosswalks or give enough time to complete a thorough search procedure before they step out onto the road.

• unpredictable behaviour and do not consider the consequences of their actions

Children often have trouble stopping at the kerb especially if they are excited or are chasing a ball and may dart out onto the road without thinking.

• a tendency to be easily distracted

Children tend to focus only on the things that interest them most. They are easily distracted in the company of friends and cannot be relied upon to use safe behaviour consistently.

• limited ability to respond quickly to a sudden change in traffic conditions

Children may be able to say when the road is clear and safe to cross but a sudden change in traffic conditions can cause confusion and panic.

• difficulty seeing a situation from another’s viewpoint

Children often think that if they can see a car approaching them the driver must be able to see them too.

• an unwillingness to change from a direct route even if it is dangerous

Children often focus on what they believe is the quickest way to reach their destination rather than the safest.

Children may also be at risk because of their:

• lack of knowledge and skills to deal safely with the traffic environment
• responsiveness to peer pressure
• propensity to take risks
• parents or other adults over estimating their ability
• possible lack of road side training
• presence on the road not being anticipated by drivers
• lack of experience dealing with different traffic situations (i.e. rural children interacting with city traffic situations).

Protective pedestrian behaviours

To reduce the risk to child pedestrians, classroom and parent education should focus on children:

• always using the systematic crossing strategy when crossing a road
• selecting safer places to cross
• using designated crossings (e.g. crosswalks, pedestrian phase signals, railway crossings)
• being supervised by an adult whenever possible
• using a footpath when available.

 
Addressing the above issues by driving children to and from school is a common reaction by parents. However, this decision is often made without consideration of the full facts regarding car travel.

Trips by car now account for at least half of all distances traveled by 10-14 year olds and this shift is believed to account for the fact that more children are killed today as car passengers than in any other form of transport. It should also be remembered that trips by car have an element of walking involved and this walking trip at the school end is often in a car park or drop-off/ pick-up environment with high risks associated with increased traffic and parking manoeuvres, including reversing.
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Most crashes involving child pedestrians and vehicles are the result of errors made by children. Children under ten years of age do not have the necessary cognitive and perceptual skills to negotiate roads without adult supervision.

Most cycling injuries occur on public roads and don’t involve another vehicle, but occur when children fall off their bikes. For young cyclists a footpath or shared path is the best place to ride.

​All-age cycling on footpaths is legal in Western Australia. Anyone can cycle on a footpath, but there are some conditions. See the Road Safety Commission website for more details.