Traffic Rules for School Students: A Simple Guide for India

Traffic rules for school students at a glance

Before we go into detail, here is a quick list you can read aloud in class or stick near the door at home. These school traffic rules are the same in a big city or a small town.

Teachers often turn this list into a traffic rules activity in school: each child picks one row, acts it out and the class guesses the rule.

Walking to school without worry

Many Indian children walk to school, at least for the last part of the way. Walking is healthy and fun, but the road is shared with buses, trucks, autos and two-wheelers, so a few habits keep you safe.

• Use the footpath whenever there is one. If shops or parked vehicles block it, step out only as far as needed and come back quickly.
• Where there is no footpath, walk on the extreme left edge, facing the side that is clearest, and stay in a single file with friends.
• Hold a younger brother or sister by the hand, and keep yourself on the traffic side so the little one is protected.
• Never play, chase or kick a ball on the road. A school traffic jam at the gate is not a playground.
• Look out for vehicles coming out of gates, lanes and petrol pumps. Drivers may not see a small child.

Riding a cycle to school

A cycle gives freedom, but it is also a vehicle, so the rider must follow road rules just like a driver.

1. Check the cycle before you leave: both brakes, air in the tyres, a bell that rings, and a red reflector at the back.
2. Wear a cycle helmet and fasten the strap under the chin.
3. Ride on the left side, close to the edge, and go in a line, not side by side.
4. Give a hand signal before turning: right arm straight out for a right turn, left arm out for a left turn.
5. At a busy junction, get down and walk the cycle across on the zebra crossing.
6. Never hold on to a moving bus or truck, never carry a friend on the carrier, and keep both hands on the handle.

Park the cycle only in the school stand, never across the gate where buses and parents need space.

School bus and school van rules

Lakhs of children travel in a school bus in traffic every day. School buses in India are usually painted yellow and are expected to have a first aid box, a fire extinguisher, a speed governor, grills on windows and an attendant on board. These are the traffic rules for school bus riders:

• Reach the stop a few minutes early and wait on the footpath, well away from the road.
• Let the bus stop fully before moving towards the door. Climb in one by one using the hand rail.
• Sit down quickly, keep your bag on your lap or under the seat, and do not stand in the aisle.
• Keep your head, hands and bottles inside the windows at all times.
• Do not shout or distract the driver. Listen to the attendant.
• After getting down, walk away from the bus. If you must cross, wait until the bus leaves so you can see the road clearly. Never cross in front of or behind a standing bus.

The same rules apply to a school van or an auto rickshaw. If a van is packed with too many children, or the driver uses a phone while driving, tell your parents or class teacher the same day.

Being a safe passenger in a car, scooter or auto

Even when someone else is driving, the passenger has a job too.

In a car

Children should sit in the back seat. Put the seat belt on before the car moves, with the belt across the shoulder and lap, not behind the back. Small children need a child seat that suits their size. Get out on the footpath side, never on the road side.

On a scooter or motorcycle

Every pillion rider, including a child, wears a helmet that fits and is locked. Sit behind the rider with both feet on the footrests and hold the rider's waist. Never stand in front of the rider on the floorboard.

In an auto rickshaw or cab

Sit well inside, not at the edge. Do not let more people squeeze in than the seat allows. Keep hands inside, especially in narrow lanes.

A good passenger also helps the driver: no loud games, no tapping on the driver's shoulder, and a gentle reminder if the adult picks up a phone while driving.

How to cross the road the right way

Crossing is the moment when most children get hurt, so practise this routine until it is automatic. Remember that in India vehicles keep left, so the nearest lane of traffic comes from your right.

1. Find a safe place: a zebra crossing, a signal with a walking person, a subway or a foot overbridge. Avoid bends and spots between parked cars.
2. Stop at the edge of the footpath. Do not step on the road yet.
3. Turn your head to the right, to the left, and to the right once more. Listen for horns and engines too.
4. When the road is clear, or all vehicles have stopped, walk straight across. Do not run and do not stop in the middle.
5. Keep looking both ways as you cross, because a two-wheeler can appear suddenly.
6. On a wide road with a divider, treat each half as a separate road and repeat the checks.

How signs and signals work in India

Road signs in India are grouped by shape and colour, so you can understand a sign even before you read its picture.

The sign students meet most is the School Ahead sign, a red-edged triangle showing a pair of children on their way to class. Read the full guide on the school ahead sign to know where it stands and what drivers must do.

Traffic lights

A traffic light has three lamps. Red means stop behind the line. Amber warns that red is coming next, so get ready to halt. Green means go, but only if the road ahead is clear. Many junctions also have a pedestrian light with a red standing person and a green walking person. Try the buttons on the working traffic light on this page, then see how signals are used near schools on traffic lights at school.

Traffic police hand signals

When a junction is busy or the lights fail, an officer controls traffic by hand. A raised palm facing you means stop. A beckoning arm means come forward. An arm stretched out to the side stops traffic from that side. Drivers and walkers must obey these signals.

Everything on this site in one table

This site covers road safety for students, school projects, charts and a few practical topics for parents who drive. Pick the page you need:

For parents and teachers: safe drop-off and the school zone

Most school traffic trouble happens in the fifteen minutes before the bell and after it. A few shared habits make the gate calmer for everyone.

• Drop on the school side. Stop on the same side as the gate so the child does not cross the road alone.
• No double parking. A car stopped beside another car blocks buses and hides children from view.
• Slow in the zone. Near the School Ahead sign, drive at walking pace, do not overtake and do not honk at children.
• Kiss and go. Say goodbye in the car, let the child step out on the footpath side, and move on.
• Be the example. Children copy adults. Wear the helmet, buckle the belt and wait for the green, even when late.

Teachers can run a short safety week each term. Ideas include a walk to the nearest crossing, a chart competition using the traffic rules chart page, a red and green behaviour board from the classroom light chart page, and a model from the traffic light project guide. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways also shares road safety material that schools can use.

Practise the rules with games and the signal tool

Rules stick better when children act them out. Here are three quick ideas for home or class:

• Red light, green light. One child calls the colours while the others walk, slow down or freeze.
• Spot the sign. On the way to school, count how many red circles, red triangles and blue rectangles you see.
• Be the officer. One child gives hand signals, the rest act as vehicles and walkers.

For the light game, keep the working traffic light on this page open on a phone or classroom screen and let children take turns pressing the buttons. Then ask: what should a walker do now, and what should a driver do?