One of the most important life skills you can give your child is how to be safe on the road. It is vital to your child's health and wellbeing that they are out and about and having fun. It's important for them to develop good road safety habits right from the beginning.
You, as a parent, have a major role to play in teaching your child road safety skills. Your child will pick up what you do just as much as what you say, so be sure that you follow the Green Cross Code when you are with them.
Here are some useful tips to help you teach your child about pedestrian safety.
Ages 1-4
- Explain what traffic is and how they should behave with it
- Walk with your child on the side of the pavement away from the traffic
- Hold hands with your child, or ensure they are on reins or in a buggy
Ages 5-6
- Teach your child the basics of the Green Cross Code (see www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/parents/greencrosscode.htm)
- Practice on quiet roads crossing together, then letting your child lead you. Finally let them cross while you wait behind, watching carefully
- Always cross the road at the safest place and explain why you're crossing there
Ages 7-9
- Explain the Green Cross Code to your child in full
- Start testing your child's knowledge of it on the quiet roads you have been practising on
- Gradually start crossing busier roads together, but do this many times before you let your child cross alone while you are watching
- Ensure that your child can be seen by other road users by wearing bright or fluorescent clothing during the day and reflective clothing at night
Ages 10-16
- Your child will be making more journeys on their own, especially to and from school. Make the school journey as safe as possible by discussing together any dangers along the route
- Make sure that whenever your child is out on the road they are constantly aware of what is happening around them and are not distracted by music, mobile phones or their friends
The safest places to cross the road are:
- Zebra, Pelican, Puffin and Traffic Light Crossings
- Traffic Islands
- Subways
- Footbridges
If you can't find any good crossing places like these, choose a place where you can see clearly along the road in all directions and where drivers can see you.
For your free downloadable road safety tips sheet, simply click on the image above.
For more information about child road safety visit thinkroadsafety.gov.uk