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Road Safety And Our Kids
Worried about your kids and the roadsEducating 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 parents 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 its 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/grannys 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.