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For Children 7 years and under

General safety tips

Firstly, it's never too young to start to teach a child road safety. Explain why they can't play near the road, why they can't run ahead when you are walking on a pavement and why they should always be careful near traffic.

Really small children should be strapped in to a pushchair or if they are walking they should be on reins or a similar restrain to prevent them getting to far ahead of you or walking out into the road at a junction. Always hold your young child's hand when walking near a road, and try to walk with them on the side of you that is away from the traffic.

If they are walking and you don't have hold of them, ensure they stay right next to you and don't get so far ahead you can't get to them if you need to. Don't let them run on a pavement. Once children get excited, they lose the awareness of what's around them and it is easy for them to run into a road, especially at a junction, or if they see someone they know on the other side of the road.

Encourage your child to be aware of hidden entrances, driveways and alleyways which cross the pavement, where vehicles or cyclist might emerge with little or no warning. Be extra careful when you are in a car park, especially supermarket car parks. An ever present danger here are reversing vehicles. Small children are out of a driver’s line of direct vision when they are reversing, so put your children in the car before you start unloading the trolley. If they are standing next to you and you get distracted, that is exactly when they will wonder off.

Lastly, and this one is simple common sense, never let your child play anywhere near a road.

Crossing the Road

When the time comes to teach your child how to cross a road, what's the best way to get the message across? As with a lot of things, children respond better when something is fun, so make teaching your child road safety a fun thing. First good idea is to start telling them what you are doing when you cross a road together. Explain you are looking for a safe place to cross, tell them why you are not crossing between parked cars, and why you keep looking and listening even as you cross.

Introduce them to the Green Cross Code

This easy to remember aid to road safety has been about for years and many thousands of children have learned to safely negotiate roads by following what it says.

• Find a safe place to cross, then stop. Safest places are obviously pedestrian crossings, school crossing patrols, subways or footbridges. If there isn't one of these around, then pick a spot where you can clearly see both ways. Don't pick a spot between parked cars or one that is behind a large vehicle. The driver could reverse and you won't be able to see properly without going into the road. Don't pick a spot on a bend, the brow of a hill, or one close to a junction.
• Stand on the pavement near the kerb. Stand away from the road, but where you can see in both directions.
• Look all around for traffic and listen. Give yourself plenty of time. Look both ways several times and listen out for traffic. If you hear something coming, don't cross.
• If traffic is coming, let it pass – look all around again. Don't cross until there is a safe gap in the traffic which will give you sufficient time to get all the way across.
• When there is no traffic near, walk straight across the road. Don't cross diagonally.
• Keep looking and listening for traffic while you cross. Keep looking and listening all the time you are crossing.

Start by running through the code every time you cross the road together and gradually let your child take over, step by step. Start by letting then find the safe place and then add each step as their ability and confidence grows, until eventually they are doing it all.

Pedestrian Crossings

You might feel that pedestrian crossings are safe, but they can still be dangerous for children if they don't take care. Remember to:

• explain that pedestrians have to wait on the pavement until all the traffic coming from both directions has stopped - only then is it safe to cross
• explain that if there is an island in the middle of the road, your child should treat each half of the crossing as a separate crossing
• tell your child it's important to keep looking and listening while crossing, in case a driver has not seen them
• warn your child to watch for cyclists or motorcyclists who might not have seen them
• make sure your child can be seen easily; bright or fluorescent clothes are best during the day and reflective materials work well at night
• always use a zebra or light-controlled crossing, or a school crossing patrol, if there is one

Road Safety 7 to 11 year olds

At seven years old your child may still be holding your hand as you walk them to school - a few years later your child may be going to school without you. This guide suggests ways your child can be independent while staying safe.

Knowing the Green Cross Code

Remember, children should not be allowed out alone until they are old enough to know the Green Cross Code and use it properly. The age is different for all children, but it is generally not before they are eight years old.

When walking along the road

Walking is healthier than going by car. But your child can't always see what you can see and drivers can't always see your child where they can see you. You could teach your child to:

• always walk on the pavement or path if there is one - never stray on to the road
• walk as far away from the kerb as possible
• where there is no pavement, walk in single file on the right side of the road, facing the traffic

When you're out and about

Always be sure to:

• explain road safety rules
• use the Green Cross Code
• talk about what's going on in the street
• encourage your child to talk about what they see 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 whenever they are going somewhere

Using crossings

Teach your child to:

• always use the Green Cross Code
• wait at the kerb by the crossing so that drivers know they want to cross
• at a signal crossing, press the button and wait for the green man to light up, and never walk out while the red man is showing, even if the cars have stopped or other people are crossing
• always walk over the actual black and white stripes of a crossing - many accidents happen around crossings
• never cross the road while using their mobile phone or while listening to music on head phones
• stay alert at all times: remember cyclists and motorcyclists use the roads as well as drivers
• where there is an island in the middle of the road, treat each half of the crossing as a separate crossing

Teenage Road Safety

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 accident than any other age group. Find out how to help your teenager stay safe.

Help protect your child

You could talk to your child 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; personal stereos, texting, phoning or even chatting to friends 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 child should never lose concentration and follow others blindly into dangerous situations

Cycling

It is a good idea to:

• buy and encourage your teenager to wear a cycle helmet, and something fluorescent and reflective to improve their visibility
• encourage your child never to take lifts on the back of a friend’s bike
• ask your child never to listen to music while they are cycling
• make sure your child knows that cyclists must obey all traffic signs and traffic light signals
• Highway code for drivers and riders (travel and transport section)

Reinforce their skills

Talking to your teenager often about road safety will keep it fresh in their minds. You could ask your child where the risks (e.g., hidden entrances) are on their route, or play games guessing what speed cars are travelling. You could also talk about the routes your child 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 points and finding an answer for each of them:

• what will they do if they miss the last bus home?
• do they have a mobile (fully charged), a phone card, 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?

Cycle Safety

Young people aged 11 to 15 are more likely to be killed or seriously injured as a pedestrian or cyclist than any other age group. Encourage your child to enjoy cycling safely by following these suggestions.

Keep talking

As a parent the best thing you can do to help your child learn about road safety is to keep talking to them about it. You can:

• point out people who are endangering themselves
• stress the need to concentrate and be careful all the time
• warn of accidents and distractions
• practice judging speed and distance with your child
• stress that your child should not blindly follow others - into the road or any situation

The Bike

Make sure your child's bike is the right size and well maintained:

• it's an offence to ride at night without a front white light, back red light and back red reflector
• remind your child that if they have a dynamo on their bike the lights will go out when they stop
• mark the bicycle frame with your postcode
• remind your child to always use a cycle lock

Clothing

There are items of clothing and equipment your child can use to help them keep safe:

• get your child to wear reflective clothing - it even helps in daylight if visibility is bad
• encourage your child to use a correctly fitted helmet

Teenagers are the age group most likely to not wear helmets. On average half of the road injuries received by cyclists are to the face and the head.

Out and about

Once your child is ready to start cycling it is helpful to:

• see if a cycling course is available at their school or through your local council road safety officer
• encourage them to use special cycle routes, paths and lanes if they are available
• advise them to not use mobile phones or personal stereos when cycling - distractions cause accidents
• point out cycle racks and encourage your child to use them

Getting to School safely

Your local council can help you find the safest routes for your child to walk or cycle to their school.

(The sections on Pedestrian Crossings, Road Safety for 7-11 yr olds, Teenage Road Safety and Cycle Safety are Crown Copyright and are reproduced by kind permission of the DirectGov website.)