Support the children in your life to get active for the school journey.
This Friday 22 May 2026 is National Walk Safely to School Day, an Australia-wide initiative that encourages kids to walk for the trip to school.
Falling within National Road Safety Week (17-24 May), the celebration day aims to raise awareness of the long-term health, road safety, transport and environmental benefits of regular walking.
In Western Australia, overall rates of active travel to school are as low as 20 per cent and one half of children travel to school by car despite living less than one kilometre away.
Encouragingly, more than half of parents support walking and riding to school for their children.
- 87 per cent agree that it is important for their children to be physically active.
- 64 per cent of kids living within a 2 km radius of their school regularly walk to school.
- 40 per cent of children walk to school weekly. [1]
Improved rates have also been achieved by schools registered to DTMI’s Your Move program, with active travel among those highly engaged with the program at double the State average.
National Walk Safely to School Day is a great opportunity for students, families and carers to take important steps towards healthier travel habits.
If you’re keen to discover more active ways to get around, sign up to Your Move, a free initiative that can help you to walk, wheel or ride more often.
[1] DTMI. (2025). People’s Pulse Report Active Travel Community Insights 2023-24. Pages 9-10.
