Road safety near schools: how to reduce risks for children?

Despite speed limits, school zones remain high-risk areas for motorists. Unpredictable pedestrian crossings, reduced visibility, and heavy traffic all contribute to poor traffic safety conditions. In 2024, 13,112 children aged 0 to 16 were injured or killed in road accidents, according to the Department for Transport.

The Wramborg Scale: how speed affects child safety on the roads

Speed remains one of the main factors in road accidents and crashes. The faster a vehicle travels, the greater the risk of losing control and the more severe any collision is likely to be.

The Wramborg Scale demonstrates a direct link between a vehicle’s speed and the risk of fatality in a collision. In a 2005 study, Swedish engineer Peter Wramborg identified critical speed thresholds.

According to the Department for Infrastructure, a child hit by a vehicle travelling at 20 mph has a 90% chance of survival. At 30 mph, that survival rate drops dramatically, with only one in two children surviving a collision.

Reducing speed therefore helps to:

• Limit the severity of injuries in the event of a collision
• Shorten braking distances
• Improve safe driving and the driver’s ability to respond to unexpected hazards

For these reasons, speed limits are a crucial measure in improving traffic safety and reducing serious accidents around schools.

School zones: why 20 mph isn’t enough?

Even with a 20-mph speed limit, traffic around schools remains a high-risk area for several reasons.

• Children are particularly vulnerable pedestrians. Their small stature, unpredictable movements, and difficulty in judging danger significantly increase the risk of accidents and crashes. According to the Department for Transport, children aged 16 and under accounted for 4% of fatalities and 11% of all casualties.
• Parking near schools reduces visibility. Frequent short-term stops encourage risky behaviours such as double parking or blocking cycle lanes and pavements, or even crosswalks. These practices reduce pedestrian safety and endanger all road users, especially during the start and end of the school day.
• Many drivers do not adhere to speed limits. In 2024, the UK government reported that under free-flow conditions, 76% of vehicles exceeded the 20-mph limit, with 10% surpassing it by more than 10 mph, undermining efforts to promote safe driving near schools.

Road safety near schools: how data can help protect children

Analysing traffic data is proving to be a vital tool for improving traffic safety around schools. Beyond enforcing speed limits, such data allows authorities to identify high-risk situations, where, when, and why accidents are most likely to occur.

It also enables urban infrastructure to be adapted to actual usage patterns, improving both pedestrian safety and overall road conditions rather than relying solely on generic measures.

In practical terms, this data can help to:

• Measure traffic volumes at the start and end of the school day
• Analyse the actual speeds of vehicles in 20-mph zones
• Identify areas where parking creates safety hazards, particularly near crosswalks
• Map the routes children take to and from school

How does MICHELIN Mobility Intelligence supports road safety near schools?

By analysing crashes data, driver behaviour, and actual vehicle speeds, MICHELIN Mobility Intelligence can identify high-risk areas in built-up zones with precision.

This approach provides a comprehensive view of road safety challenges around schools. It goes beyond speed limits, considering all relevant factors, including traffic flow, road usage, and urban layout.

These insights enable local authorities to implement targeted measures, such as installing speed bumps, redesigning traffic plans, or improving visibility along school routes and crossing safety. The goal is to make children’s journeys safer over the long term.

To find out more about these solutions, please contact the MICHELIN Mobility Intelligence teams directly.

Ready to get started?

Contact us