Road Safety and our Kids

Worried about your kids and the roads

Educating your kids on road safety

This is a really heavy subject and one which I

think plays on most parents minds – but I have to

say I really did not enjoy writing this one

little bit. I have one daughter who has recently

turned seventeen and has just started taking

driving lessons … but I will talk about that

another day.

As British Summer Time ends and the weather

begins to deteriorate it is difficult not to be

even more apprehensive than usual when the

children walk to and from school. We live off

one of the main roads leading to Christchurch.

Although the speed limit is meant to be 30mph

many cars exceed this by more than ten or twenty

or even on occasions thirty miles per hour. It

is also not unusual to see cars overtaking on

this stretch. In some parts, the road has only a

narrow pavement on one side, and is fronted by

cute Victorian terraces which must rattle as the

lorries thunder by. There is also a petrol

station, a couple of cul de sacs and a health

club all within two hundred yards. Despite these

hazards people insist on speeding. Why? Is it a

love affair with speed or the possibility they

might get to where they are going a few seconds

earlier? Maybe if they thought about the

consequences of their driving habits they might

think again.

I was talking about this with a friend of mine

who specialise in organising road safety events.

Sarah feels much more should be done to tackle

road safety awareness in children and the wider

population. She feels that educating children on

road safety should start with the smallest

children so they develop a sense of

responsibility and awareness of the dangers that

they are likely to encounter.

When you think that in 2004, 3,221 people were

killed in road accidents. Hundred and sixty six

were children, (children with serious injuries

run into thousands). Also teenagers are more

likely to be killed or injured in a road accident

than any other age group. It really does make you

sit up and think that maybe we should all be

taking a little more time to educate ourselves

and our children on road safety.

Top tips on road safety:

• Set a good example when crossing the road or

driving. Children copy parent’s behaviour. If

they see you taking chances, they will do so as

well.

• Children under eight are not able to judge

distances very well and should always be

supervised by an adult when crossing roads.

• All drivers should be aware of their speed

through built up areas .Remember not only will it

be more difficult to stop at 40mph but you are

more likely to kill someone.

• Encourage your child to talk about what they

see on the roads and whether it’s safe or not

• Let your child make decisions with you, so that

they learn through activity

• If they are planning to walk somewhere, do a

dummy run and help your child plan the safest

route to the shops/granny’s etc

• Try not to rush – accidents often happen when

people are in a hurry

For older Children and us Adults

• stress the need to concentrate and be careful

at all times

• warn of the dangers of distractions; wearing

personal stereos, using the phone or texting

while walking are big distractions

• keep talking about the dangers of traffic

• point out people who are endangering themselves

• encourage your teenager to judge the speed and

distance of approaching vehicles on busy roads

and identify safe gaps in the traffic

• stress that your child should never lose

concentration and follow others blindly into

dangerous situations

For younger children Get Across Road Safety: a

colourful guide to help teach road safety which

includes games for you to play with your child.

Call 0870 1226 236 or email: dft@twoten.press.net

and quote T/INF/803 to order your free copy.