Transport for London (TfL) has launched TfL Navigators, a free road safety programme for 16 to 18 year olds, as a record 1,057 London schools now hold Gold accreditation through its TfL Travel for Life scheme.
The new programme is open to every secondary school and college in the capital, and is designed to help older teens become safe, risk-aware and considerate road users as they start driving, riding and cycling on their own.
What is TfL Navigators?
TfL Navigators sits within the wider TfL Travel for Life programme and comes with ready-made lessons for teachers. These include discussions, quizzes and real-life case studies.
The lessons are split into three modules:
- Drive Safe
- Cycle Safe
- Ride Safe
It is one of five free programmes under the TfL Travel for Life umbrella, which together cover children and young people from age 3 right through to 18.
Why teens need road safety lessons
The figures show why TfL is focusing on this age group. In 2025, five people aged 16 to 18 died on London’s roads. A further 187 were seriously injured and 657 suffered minor injuries.
Nationally, analysis by road safety consultancy Agilysis for the National Police Chiefs’ Council found that more than 23,000 people were killed or seriously injured across Great Britain between 2021 and 2025 in collisions involving car drivers aged 17 to 24.
TfL points out that 16 to 18 is a formative age, when attitudes and travel habits are still taking shape. Research suggests young people are strongly influenced by their peers and more likely to take risks to fit in. The brain’s ability to judge risk also keeps developing into the mid-twenties.
Lilli Matson, TfL’s Chief Safety, Health and Environment Officer, said: “Learning to drive a car, ride a moped or motorcycle or cycle independently can be a really exciting time for young people as they become more independent, and it’s vital that as they do so, they have a good understanding of the rules of the road, and the potential consequences of their choices and behaviours.”
Record number of Gold schools in London
TfL Travel for Life is run with London Transport Museum and London’s boroughs. Schools earn Bronze, Silver or Gold accreditation for cutting car use, improving safety and getting more pupils walking, cycling and scooting.
To reach Gold, a school must either cut car use on the school run by six per cent or have 90 per cent of morning and afternoon journeys made by sustainable transport. Gold lasts three years, and schools complete 48 activities along the way, such as balance bike workshops, assemblies and sustainability clubs.
This year the number of Gold schools rose by 48 to 1,057, the highest in the programme’s history. New Gold schools include St James’ C of E Primary School in Enfield, Richard Atkins Primary School in Lambeth and Samuel Rhodes School in Islington. Another 214 schools have kept their Gold status for a further three years.
Will Norman, the Mayor of London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, said: “I’m delighted that a record number of schools across London are so deeply committed to helping more children walk, cycle and scoot across the capital, working to improve road safety and air quality in their communities.”
Elizabeth McKay, Director and CEO of London Transport Museum, added: “Education plays a crucial role in helping young people travel through London safely.”
More children walking and cycling to school
The scheme supports the Mayor’s Vision Zero goal of ending deaths and serious injuries on London’s transport network by 2041. According to the latest TfL data, two-thirds of primary-age children now walk, cycle or scoot to school, and car journeys on the school run are at a ten-year low.
How schools can sign up
TfL is encouraging any London school or college not yet involved to sign up to TfL Travel for Life. All of its programmes, including TfL Navigators, are free. Parents who would like their child’s school to take part can mention it to their head teacher or school travel lead.
