As parents, it is our responsibility to ensure that our children are safe, but sometimes we can’t always be there for them. We then need to rely on teachers to take care of them at school, or caregivers for after school.
But when it comes to road safety, children might be on their own, with no help. Then it becomes our responsibility again to teach them what to do, and what rules to follow when on their own, either walking, taking the bus or cycling.
How important is it to teach children about road safety? 1
Compared to adults, children don’t have the experience and wisdom of adults, when it comes to knowing what to do while walking on roads. Without proper knowledge and adult supervision, children will put themselves at serious risk on roads.
This is something that can’t be compromised. Children need to be taught about road safety as soon as they are old enough to step out of the house on their own.
Tips for teaching your children about road safety1
Listed below is a guide for children to follow.
- Teach children about traffic lights: teach children how traffic lights work, and what each colour represents.
- Green: means ‘go’ for vehicles.
- Red: means ‘stop’ for vehicles.
- Amber: means a vehicle will have to slow down to stop before the light turns red.
- The ‘walking man’ symbol: when this changes from red to green, it means you can start walking across the road. But, make sure to look both ways before doing so, because a car might still be approaching.
2. Teach children to stop, look and then cross: if children have to walk home, take the bus or are cycling, they will need to know how to cross a road correctly and safely.
- Children need to look right and left and right again before crossing to see if a car might be approaching.
- They must never cross on a bend or corner.
- Advise them not to cross the road when between stationary vehicles.
- Children, 6 years old or younger, must be accompanied by an adult.
3. Stop and listen: children need to listen out for cars’ engines or hooters. If they hear something, they should rather stop and look to make sure no car is approaching.
4. Teach children not to run on roads: teach them not to run along or across roads, as they can become easily distracted and not notice if a car is approaching them.
5. Teach children to always walk on the pavement: by teaching children to use the pavement while walking will keep them out of harm’s way.
6. Crossing roads and using zebra crossings: teach children to use zebra crossings if available and the intersections at traffic lights. This will make it much safer for them to cross. Children tend to walk across roads anywhere, and this can be very dangerous.
7. Teach children not to stick their hands out of vehicle windows: this can be very dangerous as a passing vehicle can hit your child’s hand or arm, causing serious injuries.
8. Teach bicycle safety to your children: children using a bicycle to commute must always ensure that they are wearing a helmet. Don’t allow them to ride near busy intersections. They must use bicycle lanes if available, but if not, they must ride on the side of the road, as far as possible from the edge of the road. Teach them to listen for any oncoming traffic and keep their eyes on the road. Make sure their bicycles have front and rear lights for visibility at night.
9. Teach children to disembark from a vehicle onto the pavement: children exiting a car, bus or other vehicles must disembark onto the pavement. If disembarking from a car on the street side, children may put themselves at serious risk to oncoming traffic. They need to know that they may only disembark a vehicle when an adult has told them it’s safe to so.
The above is just a basic guideline to help children get from A to B safely when using our roads. Please remember to never leave your child or children unsupervised.
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Disclaimer:
This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions in the article should not be attributed to anyone but the author unless expressly stated. Nothing in this article should be relied upon as advice, this publication is presented for informational purposes only. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found in this article, without first obtaining proper financial advice from the appropriate professional. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, or completeness, of any information linked from, referred to, or contained in this article. The author reserves the right, to edit and change the content of this article.
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How can our Pedestrians be Safer? We share the most Important Suggestions for Pedestrian Safety https://t.co/NP0loKZJcc #ArriveAlive #PedestrianSafety pic.twitter.com/zh49c2y9iH
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) August 23, 2019