For students at four government schools in Delhi located near high-crash stretches and road black spots, the journey to school can involve concerns about speeding vehicles, road crashes, robbery and harassment, a study has found.
The finding is particularly worrying because, as per the study, at least 65% of the students surveyed said that they travelled to school on foot. For these children, walking to school means sharing busy roads with fast-moving traffic and negotiating crossings largely on their own.
Published in the journal ‘Injury Prevention’, the study has stressed the importance of making school routes safer rather than leaving children to cope with traffic risks themselves.
The study, conducted among adolescents aged 10 to 19 years in four government schools located near high-crash stretches and road black spots in Delhi, looked at how young people travel to school and the risks they encounter along the way.
The study by The George Institute for Global Health found a significant reliance on walking. About 80% of boys said they walked from school to home, compared with 49% of girls. Cycling was another mode used by students, often involving travel through busy traffic corridors.
But the concerns reported by students went beyond the risk of being hit by a vehicle.
They spoke of speeding traffic and road crashes, while robbery was another concern during their daily journeys. Girls reported greater concerns about harassment and eve-teasing, showing that for some students, getting to and from school also involves concerns about personal security.
At the same time, the study found that most participating students reported feeling safe during their journeys. About 70.28% of boys and 65.26% of girls said they felt safe, indicating that while students identified specific risks along their routes, the majority did not generally perceive their journeys as unsafe.
The findings also underline how boys and girls can experience the same journey differently. While traffic and crash risks affect everyone, girls may also have to consider whether a road is adequately lit, whether there are people around and whether they feel safe from harassment.
The study also found gaps in road-safety awareness. Nearly six in 10 students had poor knowledge of commonly encountered road signs. Researchers said simply teaching traffic rules in classrooms may not be enough to prepare adolescents for situations they encounter on the streets.
They suggested more practical approaches, including simulations, scenario-based exercises and peer-led road-safety education, so students can learn how to respond to real-life situations.
Safety practices during travel were another concern. Among students who travelled as motorcycle pillion riders, 39% of boys and 46% of girls said they never wore a helmet. Seatbelt use among students travelling by car was also inconsistent.
However, researchers cautioned against viewing these findings simply as a problem of children failing to follow safety rules. The larger issue, they said, is whether the roads and neighbourhoods around schools allow children to travel safely in the first place.
“The school commute is an everyday part of adolescent life, but for many young people it also means navigating busy roads and making decisions about safety on their own. Our findings show that rather than focusing only on individual behaviour, we need to create environments that make safe travel possible,” said Pratishtha Singh, lead author of the study.
The researchers called for continuous footpaths, protected pedestrian crossings, adequate lighting, traffic-calming measures and safer cycling infrastructure, particularly around schools and high-crash locations.
Such measures could be useful for students who walk or cycle every day. A child may know that a red light means stop or that a helmet should be worn, but that knowledge can be supported further by providing safe footpaths, protected crossings and adequate lighting.
The study also called for a gender-sensitive approach to road safety. While safer crossings and traffic calming can reduce crash risks for all students, girls may require additional measures to address harassment and unsafe public spaces along school routes.
Dr Jagnoor Jagnoor, senior author of the study and an expert at The George Institute for Global Health India, said children should not be left to shoulder the responsibility for road safety.
“We cannot put the responsibility for road safety on adolescents alone. If children are walking and cycling to school, the roads and streets around them must be designed to protect them,” he said.
Dr Jagnoor stressed the importance of pedestrian pathways, better lighting, traffic calming, protected crossings and effective enforcement.
Road safety advocates also called for greater attention to speeding around schools. Ashim Sanyal, Managing Trustee, Consumer VOICE, who was not part of the study, said children remain among the most vulnerable road users and require special protection.
“Every year, lakhs of lives are lost on our roads, and tragically, children are among those who pay the heaviest price. As one of the most vulnerable groups of road users, children require special protection and greater attention from all stakeholders. Speeding remains one of the leading causes of road crash fatalities, accounting for nearly seven out of ten deaths.”
He cited data from the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways which said that around 10,000 children lost their lives in road crashes in 2024. These deaths are preventable. Protecting children requires evidence-based interventions, particularly effective speed management around schools, Sanyal noted.
“Speed limits in school zones should not exceed 25 km/h, with strict enforcement and appropriate road-safety measures in place. This standard should be consistently implemented in both urban and rural areas. Safe speeds around schools can significantly reduce the severity of crashes and, most importantly, help ensure that every child can travel to and from school safely.”
The researchers suggested that schools and local authorities work together through Road Safety Clubs and District Road Safety Committees to identify hazards along school routes and involve students in finding solutions.
The message from the study is clear: school journeys can be made safer by improving the roads and public spaces around schools. With so many adolescents walking and crossing major roads alone, making the streets around schools safer needs to be treated as a public-safety priority, not merely a matter of individual behaviour.
