Road Safety for youngsters
We all want our children to be safe. It is up to the adults to teach the children how to be safe near roads, and how to recognise dangers. Teaching good road safety should start early and become a habit for both the adult and the child. Young children do not have the skills to stay safe in traffic. Often they can’t see past parked cars and they don’t have the experience to judge the speed and distance of an oncoming car. Consider asking your child’s school or pre-school to consider road safety education programs. Local police forces will often have a Road Safety officer willing to come out to the school or play-group.
Helping your children to be safe in traffic
Children learn about road safety by watching others. Make sure you always set a good example. The following tips will help you to assist your children to be safe in traffic.
Children up to five years of age
Start by teaching the children safe places to play and dangerous places to play. Explain why.
Point out safe places to cross a road, including Zebra Crossings, Pelican crossing, traffic lights, etc. Don’t forget to include “people who can help”, i.e., Police officers, traffic wardens, school crossing wardens, etc.
Always carefully supervise your children in traffic situations:
Hold your child’s hand when you are near cars.
Explain what you are doing when you cross the road together. This helps your child to understand how you decide when it is safe to cross.
Set a good example for your child to copy.
Use the Green cross code as a basis for your teaching. For those adults who have forgotten the Green Cross Code it is reproduced at the bottom of this page, or click this link to visit the Green Cross Code web site.
From five to nine years of age
Talk about signs and traffic lights. Identify and discuss places where it is safe to cross the road.
Teach you child how to cross roads using the ‘stop, look, listen and think’ process – stop at the kerb, look and listen for traffic and then decide whether it is safe to cross. Take the trip to school together along the safest footpaths and use safe crossing places.
Supervise your child on the way to and from school.
From 10 to 13 years of age
Children of this age can cope more safely in traffic on their own, but you can still help:
Check that your child always ‘stops, looks, listens and thinks’ when crossing the road.
Tell your child about road laws in simple terms. Go for rides and walks together.
Plan safe routes to school and places your child often visits.
Make sure your child wears colours that are easy to see.
Things to remember
Young children do not have the skills to be in road traffic on their own.
An adult should always be with children in traffic situations.
Children learn road safety habits by watching and copying others, so set a good example.
Explain traffic movement, road safety and road rules to your child.
Travelling in vehicles or riding bicycles
Insist that your child wears an appropriate and properly adjusted seat belt or child restraint on every car trip.
For the very young, use appropriate chairs or booster seats.
Make sure you get your child in and out of the car on the kerb side.
Insist that properly adjusted seat belts are worn on every car trip.
Ensure your child always rides on the footpath or a bicycle track with supervision.
Insist that your child wears an approved helmet when riding a bike which is properly secured.
Talk about where the child can safely ride.
Teach them about being bright and being seen.
Green cross code.
- First find the safest place to cross
- If possible, cross the road at: subways, footbridges, traffic islands, zebra, pelican, puffin or toucan crossings, or where there is a crossing point controlled by a police officer, a school crossing patrol or a traffic warden.
- Otherwise, choose a place where you can see clearly in all directions, and where drivers can see you.
- Try to avoid crossing between parked cars and on sharp bends or close to the top of a hill. Move to a space where drivers and riders can see you clearly.
- There should be space to reach the pavement on the other side.
- Stop just before you get the kerb
- Do not get too close to the traffic. If there is no pavement, keep back from the edge of the road but make sure you can still see approaching traffic.
- Give yourself lots of time to have a good look all around.
- Look all around for traffic and listen
- Look all around for traffic and listen.
- Look in every direction.
- Listen carefully because you can sometimes hear traffic before you can see it.
- If traffic is coming, let it pass
- Look all around again and listen.
- Do not cross until there is a safe gap in the traffic and you are certain that there is plenty of time.
- Remember, even if traffic is a long way off, it may be approaching very quickly.
- When it is safe, go straight across the road – do not run
- Keep looking and listening for traffic while you cross, in case there is any traffic you did not see, or in case other traffic appears suddenly.
- Look out for cyclists and motorcyclists travelling between lanes of traffic.
- Do not cross diagonally.
A small poem for them to learn
Stop, look and listen,
Before you cross the street,
Use your eyes and use your ears,
Before you use your feet.
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