When your kids start walking, they become more adventurous and want to move around. They begin to climb and walk around the yard. They can even wander off into the streets or run into the road to get their toys. At this time, they are prone to all kinds of domestic and road accidents.
According to the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, children between the ages of 10 to 14 are most likely to suffer pedestrian-related injuries. Also, children aged five to 14 years are most likely to be killed by a car. That is why you need to teach them pedestrian safety rules from a young age.
Every child below the age of 12 needs adult supervision on the road. As a parent or guardian, you need to teach your kids about pedestrian safety. Teach them how to navigate roads, driveways, footpaths, and car parks. Don’t assume your kids are old enough to figure it out. Even those who know all the road safety rules won’t always remember to follow them.
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Walking and Crossing Roads
Walking and crossing the road with kids can be tricky. They can get all fussy and insist on crossing the road without your help. Regardless of their tantrums, never allow your kids to cross the road alone until they are old enough.
You can help them learn how to cross the road properly by practicing these pedestrian safety guidelines.
1. Always hold your child’s hand when walking on the road or around cars. Before your kids get all fussy, explain to them why it’s important for them to hold your hand.
2. Be extra careful where there’s heavy traffic, roadblocks, and crowded narrow, or nonexistent footpaths.
3. Teach your kids to always cross at the safest point. Teach your kids to stop and look left, right, and left again before crossing the road.
4. Even when there is no car in sight, they should listen to the sound of any oncoming vehicles.
5. Teach your kids how to work out the distance of cars on the road and how fast they’re approaching.
6. Adhere to traffic signals and use pedestrian crossings wherever possible.
7. Always walk on the sidewalks or pedestrian lanes. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
8. Don’t use your phones or gadgets when walking on the road.
Preventing Driveway Accidents
Most children, especially toddlers, and preschoolers, don’t realize that cars are dangerous. They may think it’s the same as playing with their toy cars. That’s why a kid can crawl under a car to pick up their ball without fear of being harmed. You must teach them to be careful around cars.
You can start by following these driveway safety guidelines:
1. Before moving your car into a driveway, make sure there’s no child behind, in front of, or around the car. Don’t just rely on car cameras and sensors to detect that. Get down, walk around the car, and check it yourself.
2. Don’t leave your kids alone to play around a parked car, in the driveway, garage, or parking lot.
3. Always hold your child’s hand when walking or standing near cars.
4. Watch out for cars that are turning, reversing, or backing up. Drivers may not see small children behind their cars.
5. If you or a visitor is driving out of your house, your kids should wave goodbye from the window or any safe spot in the house.
Getting In and Out of the Car
1. It’s best to use the curbside or rear passenger door when getting your child into and out of their car seat. This way, your child will get used to always getting in and out of the car.
2. The safest door to get in or out of the car is the one furthest away from traffic.
3. If you have a baby and a toddler, your toddler should remain inside the car while you get your baby out. That’s because toddlers can wander out of your sight.
4. Once you’re all out of the car, hold your child’s hand and figure out where cars could come from before walking away from the car.
5. When returning to your car with a baby and a toddler, help your toddler get in first so they don’t wander out of your sight.
When is Your Child Ready to Navigate the Road?
Your child is ready to navigate the road alone when they know, understands, and obeys pedestrian safety rules. This has nothing to do with age. Some older children also struggle to cope in high-traffic areas. Regardless of your children’s age, don’t assume they are ready to walk and crossroads without supervision, especially if they’ve not had enough practice with road usage.
You can assess their readiness by asking them these important questions:
1. Where’s the safest place to walk on the road?
2. When is it safe to cross the road?
3. What do you need to do before you cross the road?
4. Why should you hold your siblings’ when crossing the road together?
5. Why do you need to listen before crossing when you can’t see any cars on the road?
Also, make sure that your kids understand that some drivers don’t always adhere to road safety rules. So, even as they obey the rules, they must be very cautious on the road.
In Conclusion,
As you teach your kids pedestrian safety, also model safe behaviour. Children learn faster by watching what you do. Your child will learn about pedestrian safety by imitation. They would rather watch and replicate what you do than listen to what you say. Make sure you adhere to road safety rules, so your kids can observe and do the same.