Independent travel to school

Starting high school is a huge milestone for students and their parent or guardian. The transition from primary to high school often comes with new responsibilities, new privileges, and an increased level of independence. For many families, it’s the time when children start travelling to and from school without an adult. Even children who travelled independently in primary school may find their high school is further away from home and involves different conditions, like unmanned crossings and main roads. Allowing children to walk or cycle to school independently can improve their problem-solving and decision-making skills, build social skills and a sense of community, and has great health benefits. But just because your child is making this move towards independence, it doesn’t mean they have to go it alone. There are steps you can take before, during and after the transition that will ensure they have the knowledge, attitude and skills to keep themselves and others safe.

Ready, or not?

There are many factors that will influence when your child is ready to travel independently, including travel distance, neighbourhood, and local facilities like dedicated foot or cycle paths, traffic lights and manned crossings. It will also depend on your child’s own road safety knowledge, abilities, experience and confidence. It’s important to remember there is no prescribed age for letting children travel independently, so parent or guardian should make the decision they think is best for their family.

1. Have a chat

A great first step is to sit down with your child and build an understanding of what you are both feeling and thinking about the move towards independent travel. Your discussion will guide the other steps you need to take to prepare. Some things to discuss are:

• acknowledging this is a big step
• gauging their feelings
• selecting safe travel options
• discussing benefits
• considering potential hazards
• asking their needs

2. Study safety

It’s important that you get up to speed on the road rules and safety guidelines so you can be a good teacher and role model. You don’t want to pass on unsafe habits, so remember to always model safe practices and share the right information. Check out these top tips for safe pedestrian and bike travel:

BE VISIBLE

• Stand out with bright clothing. Even if the school uniform is dark or dull, bright accessories such as helmets, backpacks or jackets can help a rider or pedestrian stand out.
• Shine bright with a torch or reflective clothing in low light or darkness.
• Be seen on your bike by having the right equipment. A bike must legally have a white front light, a red rear light, a red reflector on the back and yellow reflectors on each pedals and wheels.
• Don’t pop out from behind cars, busses or other objects as you risk drivers not seeing you with enough time to stop.
• Make eye contact with drivers before crossing the road, but don’t assume they will definitely stop for you.
• If your only option is to walk on the road, keep to the far right, facing oncoming traffic. (If possible, walk on a path or nature strip instead.)
• Keep left if you must cycle on the road, travelling in the same direction as the traffic. (If possible, ride on the footpath, cycle path or nature strip instead.)

BE ALERT

• Look around and stay alert so you can avoid hazards.
• Look left, right & left again before crossing the road, and keep looking until safely across.
• Watch out for cars entering or exiting driveways.
• Put phones, headphones & devices away.
• Be aware of other path users, especially if they are distracted.

BE PATIENT

• Walk or cycle on footpaths and shared paths and cross at dedicated pedestrian crossings such as on some street corners, traffic signals and crosswalks.
• Don’t rush across traffic - wait for a gap that allows enough time to cross safely.
• Cross the road by using the shortest safe route and do not stay on the road longer than necessary to cross safely.
• Double check for vehicles, even if you’re crossing at a green light.
• If you can’t cross the whole road safely in one go, wait on the pedestrian refuge if one is available.

BE PREPARED

• If you’re cycling, make sure you wear your helmet and you’ve checked that your bike is in good working order (i.e. brakes, tyres, lights, reflectors, bell, etc.). For more information on bike safety and bike maintenance, head to RAC Road Ready: Bike Rider Safety. Refresh your knowledge of the road rules related to pedestrians and cyclists, especially where and when vehicles have right of way.
• Plan your journey in advance, choosing the safest route.

For more details, head to RAC Road Ready: bike rules
For skateboard and scooter rules, check out RAC Road Ready: little wheels rules 

3. Make a plan

Before your child sets off, they should have a plan for where to go, how long the trip will take, and what to do if anything goes wrong. Don’t just choose the shortest journey, select the safest path. This could mean finding a route that allows your child to remain on the footpath, cross at traffic lights, use an underpass or even travel with a friend. Planning how long the journey will take can help avoid a situation where your child is running late and rushing - which may lead them to cut corners with safety. It’s also a good idea to make a backup plan for inclement weather or changed traffic conditions, and to share your plan with friends and family who can provide support and guidance in your absence.
The Your Move journey planner or your smart phone can be used to plan your route.

Hopefully your child won’t find themselves in any trouble, but it’s worth having a list of emergency contacts on hand - just in case! You may feel safe if your child has a mobile phone or smart watch to contact you, but it’s important to plan for if they forget to charge it, break it, or don’t have it with them. It’s also important to discuss the signs that point to a person, location or situation being potentially unsafe, and what to do if they feel uncomfortable.

4. Set intentions

Your child’s attitude towards their independent travel will play an important role in influencing their behaviour as they travel to and from school. The stronger the intention to be safe, the more likely it is that it will occur and last over time. You should share your understanding of why safety is important, but also give your child space to explore and form their own attitude. Establishing their own reasons can be more long lasting and help them take ownership of their behaviour. Here’s some facts to get started:

• Unsafe behaviour not only risks your life, but other people’s lives too.
• Pedestrians and cyclists are considered ‘vulnerable road users’ as they at greater risk of being fatally or seriously injured in a crash compared to those in vehicles.
• The chance of a vulnerable road user being seriously or fatally injured rapidly increases from around 30km/h.
• 1,194 pedestrians and cyclist were killed or seriously injured in WA between 2016-2020.
• 281 of those deaths and serious injuries were people under the age of 18.

Buddy up

If possible, work with other families in your community to support each other. Can children travel together? Can adults take turns modelling and practicing safe travel? If other families in your community have the same expectations, children will influence each other to reinforce safe behaviour.

5. Give it a go

Now you’ve planned and prepared, it’s time to do a practice run. How many times you practice is entirely up to you, and will depend largely on your child and the difficulty of the journey. Top tips for success:

• Keep practice sessions concise and consistent to help your child remember.
• Be a positive role model. Demonstrate calm and correct behaviours, as your child will learn from watching you.
• Schedule practice runs for the same time your child will be taking the journey, so conditions will be similar.
• Practice with your child wearing their backpack, as a heavy backpack can significantly impact balance.
• During the journey, talk through the hazards you spot, your feelings and your decision-making process. Then give your child the opportunity to do the same - as you go along, let them take the lead in this process.
• Practice with a friend, especially if they will be travelling together.
• Observe your child making decisions and praise good choices.
• Check in with your child, reading their verbal and non-verbal clues.
• Debrief after each practice, asking how the experience felt and what your child needs to feel supported.
• Make modifications to your journey plan as needed but avoid confusing your child with unnecessary changes.
• Practice your back up plan so your child feels comfortable in the event that they need to take this route.

6. Going solo

Your child should now be ready to take the next step and travel to school without you. They may want to start gradually or may feel ready to dive straight in, especially if they have a friend or sibling to travel with. A step-by-step approach might involve travelling together part-way, then independent travel for the remainder. As you and your child feel comfortable with the journey, you can gradually increase the independent portion. Another option is for your child to travel alone, but to monitor them from a distance, so they are still in charge of decision making. Let your child know that if they don’t feel confident travelling alone, even after completing some trips independently, that it’s not a failure to go back to completing the journey together until they feel they are ready to try again. The ultimate goal is for your child to feel confident making this journey, so it’s best to move forward at a pace that suits their individual needs. Remember, even once they’re travelling without you, it’s still important to check in regularly to find out if they have any questions or concerns and to reinforce positive behaviours.