Jennifer Rowlinson | Associate

Top Tips for Children Crossing the Road

As I prepared this article I looked to my three-year old for inspiration asking “what is road safety when crossing the road?” to which he responded “RUN!”.

The Governments THINK! Campaign advises practicing a message consistently over time helps young people remember when it comes to road safety. Whilst we practice the traditional ‘Look right, look left and look right again’ each time we cross the road together, children do indeed take in a message consistently put to them over time. When it comes to road safety, as adults we can be at fault for not always displaying the road safety message of waiting on the green man and walking safely across the road without distraction in response.

There is differing views on what age is appropriate for children to independently cross the road. The THINK! Campaign advises no matter what age a child is, it is important to implement road safety with children when crossing the road. We have set out below our top tips for children’s safety when crossing the road.

  STOP LOOK LISTEN THINK… WALK

  • STOP before crossing the road.
  • LOOK right, LOOK left and LOOK right again.
  • LISTEN for any cars or cyclists.
  • THINK if it is safe to cross.
  • If it’s safe, WALK across the road.

GREEN MEANS GO!

It is important to teach children to choose their crossing wisely. Traffic lights and zebra crossings are the safest places to cross the road. These are signals for pedestrians and car users to be aware of each other.

At traffic lights, stop look and listen for the green man.

At zebra crossings, stop look listen and wait for cars and cyclist to stop.

CITIZENS OF THE ROAD

Rhymes such as ‘look right look left look right again’ and ‘green means go’ are useful in teaching road safety and helping children remember what to do when crossing the road. Above all children tend to love playing a role and feeling some degree of responsibility; making them aware that they play a part in ensuring the safety of all road users will encourage them to think safety first when crossing the road.

Quick top tips:

  • Walk (don’t run!).
  • Always use the pedestrian crossings.
  • Be aware of other road users.
Jennifer Rowlinson

Jennifer Rowlinson

Personal Injury Team

“I particularly enjoy being involved in court hearings and helping my client’s feel supported through the court process from beginning to end”

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