Road Safety

Every year, thousands of children are injured in accidents on
the road. Teaching your kids about the rules of the road and how to stay safe
can help to reduce the chance of your child being involved in a road traffic
accident.

It’s a good idea to start teaching your child how to cross
the road safely from an early age. Although it’s unlikely that your child will
ever have to cross the road on his or her old until he or she is much older,
it’s comforting to know that if they ever end up in the situation where they
have to cross the road independently, they’ll know what to do.

Start by teaching the importance of stopping, looking and listening before crossing the road. Explain
that they must always stop at the kerb because cars may be coming down the road
very quickly and stepping into oncoming traffic is dangerous. Then go on to
talk about how cars can come towards pedestrians from both directions, making
look both ways very important. Listening carefully before crossing is also important
because cars can sometimes be heard before they are seen. Tell your children
that they should only cross the road after they have stopped, looked and
listened, and are sure that there are no cars coming either up or down the
road; then, cross the road with them, explaining that they should always cross
the road in a straight line, and always bear in mind the Green Cross Code.

Next, talk about safe places to cross. Highlight places that
are unsafe, such as behind parked cars and at junctions and bends where it is
harder for drivers to see pedestrians and accidents are more likely to happen.
Teach your children about designated pedestrian crossing, and how the red and
green man symbol and pelican and puffin crossings indicates when it is safe to
cross the road after the button next to the crossing has been pushed.

Make learning about road safety fun and interesting for your
child by implementing it in walks with your child.

Teaching your child to recognize and
understand road traffic signs will help keep them safe, too. The
function of most road traffic signs is to give instructions, warnings and
information to drivers; however, teaching your kids how to interpret basic road
signs can give them a heads-up when it comes to understanding the rules of the
road and how to keep safe. Some signs are targeted at pedestrians, such as the
‘No pedestrians signs’ – a circular shaped sign with a red-edge and a picture
of a man walking – and it’s important that your child understands these signs
in particular to stop them from walking in areas where it isn’t safe for
pedestrians to go. The sign for a pedestrian crossing (a triangular, red-edged
signed with a man walking across a dotted line) is a good for one for your children
to become familiar with; its purpose is to highlight safe areas to cross the
road. In the event that your child ever becomes separated from you or lost,
road signs may help your child to identify his or her location, or find
directions to places such as a supermarket, library or police station when he
or she can find help. You can make learning about road traffic signs fun by
looking up pictures of signs on-line and guessing their meanings.