Practical Child Pedestrian Safety Training Scheme

The Practical Child Pedestrian Safety Training Scheme is offered by the Department of Environment Road Safety Education Officer Service to selected primary schools throughout Northern Ireland.

Practical Child Pedestrian Safety Training is a combination of classroom theory and practical roadside training. Children are taught by their teacher with Road Safety Education Officers providing resource support and practical assistance, where necessary.

After a number of sessions are completed in class, children take part in a supervised pedestrian walk on a pre-planned route from their school. This allows children’s knowledge, skills, and understanding to be put into practice and provides the opportunity for them to develop pedestrian skills, observe dangers and practice crossing roads safely.

Children standing on the pavement near the edge of the curb

The main aspects of the scheme are to:-

support early child pedestrian training in years three, four, and five;
equip children with the skills and knowledge required to ensure their safety as pedestrians;
begin a life long process of learning how to interact with roads and other road users;
develop a programme to improve child pedestrian safety;
work in partnership with teachers in development of "best practice" in relation to the management and sustainability of the scheme.

The main aims of the scheme are to:-

raise children’s awareness of the road environment;
reduce children’s pedestrian risk behaviour;
establish a form of classroom and practical training that improves child pedestrian safety;
aid the development of children’s road safety vocabulary, skills, knowledge, and attitudes – appropriate to their age and stage of development;
enable identification of safe and unsafe places to cross the road;
develop perceptions of speed and distance;
understand the many dangers in the road environment.

It is intended to imbue the children with an awareness of hazards and the necessary life skills to be a safe pedestrian and to be able to cross the road safely, irrespective of the scenario. For more information visit Pedestrian Safety.