10 Fundamentals of Road Safety for Children

Parents ensure their children’s safety at home whereas, teachers/caretakers are held responsible for the safety & security of children at school. But who keeps them safe on the roads?  If someday your children have to walk to school, go to the nearest candy shop and pick & drop off the bus, it is necessary to teach them the fundamentals of road safety.

     1. Know the Traffic Rules

Bring a traffic rules chart from any stationery shop and teach the children the basic rules to help them ease their life outside the home. Teach the children about the Traffic rules and signals and what the colour of each light signifies.

• Green signifies Go: When traffic lights turn Green, Go ahead. 
• Red means Stop: When traffic lights turn red. Please stop and switch off the engine. Save Energy! 
• Yellow signifies Slow Down: When you see Yellow lights. Please slow down and prepare to stop.
• The Walk or the Walking man symbol says that the pedestrians can now take the zebra crossing.

     2. Cross the Road only at Zebra Crossing

One must always cross the road through Zebra Crossing and not from anywhere else. Make sure the traffic signal is red while the pedestrian walk signal says Walk or shows the green walking man symbol. 

     3. Do not Run or Play on the Street

One thing that Indian societies have in common is the busy streets where children play and run without being supervised or simply at risk. Please don’t let the children be a reason for their own risk of losing precious life. Use public parks and stadiums. 

     4. Always walk on the Pavement

Children should know that they must always choose to walk on sideways and use subways to cross the roads instead of openly engaging with the traffic. 

     5. Do not take your hands or head out of the moving vehicle

Please ensure the child-lock safety feature on the vehicle doors and windows so the children cannot snoop out. 

     6. Wear Seatbelts!

One of the main road safety rules is to strap on the seatbelts the moment you sit in the vehicle. It is a better medium for the overall safety of your body. 

     7. Take blind turns carefully and do not cross the blind roads 

The traffic rules suggest that one should not cross blind turns as it could be life-threatening. Make sure that the children understand the value of this point.

     8. Get off the Bus/Vehicle from the safer side of the road

 One should always take the opposite and safer side of the busy roads while getting off the vehicle. Don’t take a chance of engaging with the moving traffic. 

     9. Always take adult supervision when you are on the busy roads

Sometimes mischievous kids try to do everything on their own. Teach the children that road safety is all in our hands and it is not worth a chance to take in a hurry and excitement. 

     10. Do not provoke stray animals on the roads. They might get aggressive

To avoid accidents, children should understand that stray animals are not trained or supervised. You never know who is aggressive and who is not. It is better to Stay Away! 

Conclusion 

The motive behind this learning is that they should know how to handle themselves in their daily chores. They should learn to take care of themselves when there is no adult supervision or in the time of emergency. 

(Also, Read: HOW YOUNG PARENTS CAN COMMUNICATE BETTER WITH THEIR CHILD)