Children are most precious, and we need to protect them as much as we can because they may not always know what to do. We cannot always be with them – so we must educate them from an early age about road safety.
What should children know?1
Children often do not have a long concentration span, and thus we need to teach them necessary information about road safety that is easy to understand.1 Here are some great tips about road safety that you can teach your children.
What do the signs mean? 1
The basic lesson covers the meaning of each colour of a traffic light and that they only obey the colour of the light that they see. Then there are the signs such as a pedestrian crossing, which they should also be aware of.
Crossing a street1
For security reasons, children should not cross the street alone, but it’s still essential that they know what to do when crossing a road. Children should first look for any signs such as a pedestrian crossing. In South Africa, with driving on the left side of the road, children need to first stop, look right, then left, and then right again. Only then may they proceed if it’s safe to do so.
Always cross a road when visibility is great1
They should never cross at a corner in the road, where there is little time to react to cars suddenly coming into view. They must exercise extra caution when visibility is low such as at night, and when it is raining heavily or misty. They must avoid walking between parked cars. They need to learn to listen for any approaching vehicles.
At what age should children always be accompanied? 1
Children of less than six years should always have their hand held by an adult. They are too young and impulsive to be left alone.
No running onto the road1
Children may not always have the patience to wait. Other times they may chase a ball that rolls into the road from their garden. Thus, no matter what, teach them to never run into the road.
Always walk on pedestrian sidewalks1
When in a town or a city, children must know that no walking in the road is permitted. If there is no sidewalk, teach them to walk as far to the right of the road facing oncoming traffic as possible.
Children must stay inside a moving vehicle1
It is most exciting for children to stick their hands out of the window of a moving car to feel the wind. This isn’t safe and should not be allowed.
Is your car adequately covered? 1
You have read all about educating children on road safety, now make sure your car has good cover. Contact PMD for more information about affordable car insurance that comes with fixed premiums* and a reduce to zero excess*. T’s and C’s apply.
This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. 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.
Source:
1https://www.momjunction.com/articles/important-road-safety-rulestips-to-teach-your-children_0077932/