Top Tips For Parents

Primary

As walking is much healthier than going by car, why not use this opportunity to teach your child some important road safety lessons. For instance, you could teach your child to:

always walk on the pavement or path if there is one - never stray on to the road;
walk on the inside of the footpath, as far away from the kerb as possible;
where there is no footpath, walk in single file on the right side of the road, facing the traffic. This allows you to step onto the grass verge if the oncoming vehicle does not see you and/or leave enough space to get past.

When you are out and about

explain road safety rules (& laws);
use the Green Cross Code (read the Green Cross Code in full);
talk about what’s going on in the street, and in the country;
encourage your child to talk about what they see and hear on the roads and whether it’s safe or not;
let your child make decisions with you, so that they learn through activity;
help your child plan the safest route to the shops/granny’s, etc.

Using crossings

Teach your child to:

always use the Green Cross Code;
wait behind the kerb at the crossing so that drivers know you want to cross;
at a pelican crossing, press the button and wait for the green man to light up. At this point, look and listen before starting to cross. and never walk out while the red man is showing, even if the cars have stopped or other people are crossing;
at a zebra crossing, do not start to cross before all the vehicles have stopped. When safe to do so, always walk across the black and white stripes of a zebra crossing, looking and listening as you go;
where there is a pedestrian island in the middle of the road, you and your child should treat each half of the crossing separately;
stay alert at all times: remember cyclists and motorcyclists use the roads as well as drivers.

Cycling

Encourage your child to:

always wear a cycle helmet when riding their bicycle;
take part in the Cycling Proficiency Scheme if offered by their school (P6/7);
wear fluorescent clothing (or reflective clothes at night);
carry out safety checks on their bicycle before use.

Post Primary

Teenagers are more at risk on the roads than they think. Most teenagers don't realise that they are more likely to be killed or injured in a road collision than any other age group.

You could talk to your teenager and reinforce road safety messages to help keep them safe:

stress the need to concentrate and be careful at all times;
warn of the dangers of distractions; wearing MP3 players / iPod's, using their mobile 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 practice judging the speed and distance of approaching vehicles on busy roads and identify safe gaps in the traffic;
stress that your teenager should never lose concentration and follow others blindly into dangerous situations.

Cycling

buy and encourage them to wear a cycle helmet;
encourage your child not to take lifts on the back of a friend's bike - even if it's raining/quicker;
remind your teenager never to wear a MP3 player / iPodwhile they are cycling.

Reinforce their skills

ask your teenager where the risks are on their route (eg hidden entrances) or suggest guessing what speed cars are travelling at;
talk about the routes your teenager takes regularly and ask questions about what is on the route to see if they take notice of their environment.

Peace of mind

For your peace of mind, have routines that you can both stick to. You could try discussing the following:

what will they do if they miss the last bus home?
do they have a mobile (fully charged), a top-up card (if appropriate), money or know how to reverse the charges if they need you?
what should your teenager do if they have to stay behind at school?