Roads and railways represent a source of increased danger for any pedestrians, and especially for children who do not have a developed sense of danger in front of moving vehicles. The innate defensive reflex of a person in road conditions can play a cruel joke. Instead of not running out onto the roadway, the child jumps away from the moving car and gets hit by the wheels of the car behind it. Parents should keep their children safe on the road by holding their hand while moving through the crossing. The most dangerous age is one or two years. The child's brain is not developed enough. When one dominant appears, the higher nervous system cannot immediately switch to another type of activity. If the ball escapes from your hands and rolls away, you need to catch it and pick it up. In this case, it does not matter at all which direction you have to run. The baby forms only one thought; his brain is not able to process more. A child who is carried away will simply not notice a moving car. A similar situation occurs with older children who are trying to save a kitten that has jumped out onto the roadway. Road safety for children involves a number of prohibitive measures, the need for which must be explained to the child from the age when he begins to understand speech. The child needs to know that the car cannot stop instantly, it will definitely travel a few more meters, and the braking distance of railway transport is much longer. Therefore, playing near railway tracks is strictly prohibited.
The child should know the following child safety rules on the road, which are aimed at preventing bodily harm:
- Under no circumstances should you run out onto the roadway;
- You should not try to touch a car moving at low speed;
- Do not touch the wheels of a car parked in the yard, especially do not use it for playing hide and seek;
- A stationary car must be walked around from behind or in front only at such a distance that you can run to the side if movement suddenly begins;
- When you see a car moving in the yard, you need to step aside, or better yet, return to the entrance and wait for the car to pass.
Ensuring safety on the road for children should be done by nearby adults, regardless of who the child is to them.
Safety of children on the roads: twelve rules
It is difficult for parents to ensure the safety of their child, because they cannot always be nearby. Parents ensure the safety of the child at home, but at school this task falls on the shoulders of teachers. But who is responsible for the safety of a child on the roads? Regardless of whether your child goes to school on his own or you give him a ride in a car, he should know the rules of road safety.
We have collected the most important traffic and safety rules in this article. You can teach them to your children.
The importance of road safety rules for children
Unlike adults, children, due to their age, do not yet know what can and cannot be done on the roads. Without adult supervision and knowledge of traffic rules, children can put themselves at risk. Statistics show that 3% of road accident victims are children.
There can be no compromise when it comes to children's safety. By the time your child is old enough to leave the house on his own, you should teach him about road safety. When walking with your child, check in practice whether he understood the rules correctly.
Let's look at the basic road safety rules that will be useful for your child.
12 road safety rules for children
Although children should know road safety rules, they should not be given more information than they are prepared to handle. Start with a few simple rules.
1. Pay attention to traffic lights
Tell your child what each traffic light color means:
- green means "go". Only when the traffic light turns green can cars move;
- red means stop. When the traffic light turns red, all cars stop;
- yellow means slow down. When a traffic light turns yellow, cars must slow down and prepare to stop;
- the image of a person walking at an intersection is intended for pedestrians. You can only cross the road when the light is green. But before that, you need to look left and right to make sure that there is no car approaching you;
- You cannot cross the road if the image with a standing man is lit in red.
2. Stop, look and cross the road
On the way to school, your child may have to cross the road. Therefore, you need to teach your child to cross the road safely.
Explain to your child that you can only cross the road at a pedestrian crossing when the traffic light is green. If there is no traffic light near the crossing, the child must adhere to the following rules:
- look to the right and then to the left to see if there is a car driving nearby;
- if a car is driving nearby, you need to let it pass and only then cross the road;
- you cannot cross the road at a bend;
- You cannot cross the road between two stationary vehicles.
Until the age of six, a child should cross the road only with adults and hold their hand.
3. Be attentive. Don't just look around, but also listen
Explain to your child that he cannot always see an oncoming car. Therefore, before crossing the road, he should listen to see if a car is approaching. Explain to your child that he must adhere to the following rules:
- if a child hears a sound made by a car, he should stop and look to the left and then to the right;
- Explain to your child how to distinguish sounds: a loud engine noise means that a car is nearby, and a quiet one means that a car is far away.
4. You can’t run out onto the road
Children can be impatient, sometimes they run across the road to quickly get to the other side of the street. A child may also run into the road while playing.
Explain to your child that you cannot cross the road in an undesignated place or walk along it. A child can easily become distracted and let go of your hand when you cross the road, or simply run away from you. Teach your child to always remain calm when you walk down the street and never run away from you.
5. Walk on the sidewalks
Teach your child to only walk on sidewalks when they walk down the street. Show him a good example: cross the road only at a pedestrian crossing. It doesn't matter if you're walking on a busy street or not, only walk on the sidewalk to stay safe.
6. Cross the road only at a pedestrian crossing
Children often run around on the street anywhere. This can be dangerous: cars do not slow down unless there is a traffic light or warning sign nearby. Explain to your child that you can only cross the road at a traffic light or at a pedestrian crossing. If there is no traffic light nearby, the child must follow the rules stated above.
7. When you're driving a car, don't stick your arms out the window.
Children often stick their arms out of the window when driving in a car. Older children may even stick their heads out to wave at oncoming cars or shout something. Children think it's funny, but it can actually be very dangerous. A child may be injured by an oncoming car.
8. Never cross the road on curves.
Turns are blind spots for drivers. If a child crosses the road at a curve, the driver does not have enough time to notice him and slow down. Explain to your child that you cannot cross the road at a bend because it is dangerous.
9. Follow safety rules when riding a bicycle
If your child is old enough to ride a bike on his own, make sure he knows the following safety rules:
- Children should always wear a helmet before riding a bike;
- Check the bike's condition when your child is about to ride. Pay special attention to whether the brakes are working properly. If your child rides in the evening, check that the headlight works and that reflective parts are installed.
Do not allow your child to ride a bicycle on busy streets without your supervision.
10. Follow safety rules when driving in a car
You can keep your child safe in the car by installing a car seat or making sure your child is wearing a seat belt. To keep your child safe in transport, teach him the following rules:
- the child should not walk around the interior of the vehicle (minibus taxi, bus, etc.);
- if a child is standing on a bus or minibus, he must hold on to the handrails until it comes to a complete stop;
- The child should not stick his arms or head out of the window of a moving car or bus.
11. Always be visible
If your child is going out in the evening, wearing black clothes is a bad idea. The child will be safe if drivers can clearly see him even at dusk:
- if a child walks or rides a bicycle in the evening, his clothes should be light-colored or contain reflective elements;
- During the day, the child should wear bright clothes;
- If a child enters a bus or minibus, he must wave his hand to indicate to the driver.
12. Take your time
The child may be in a hurry to catch up with someone on the street or to get somewhere on time. This could be dangerous for him. Teach your child the following rules:
- the child should not rush when getting into or out of the car - this can be dangerous;
- when a child walks hand in hand with you, he should not be distracted or pull you in any direction;
- when a child walks down the street on his own, he should not rush;
- the child should not open the car doors himself, but only after you give him permission;
- The child should not play or play around in the bus or on the roadway.
7 tips to help your child stay safe on the roads
In addition, to teach your child safety rules, follow these tips.
1. A child should always be buckled up in a car. If he is still small, use a car seat.
2. When your child is sitting in the car, lock the doors so that he cannot open them while driving.
3. Teach your child all the rules in practice. For example, take him on bike rides to teach him the rules of safe riding by example.
4. Be patient when walking with your child. Set an example of calm behavior so that the child is not in a hurry.
5. Be punctual. This will help you avoid speeding and drive safely.
6. Do not use a mobile phone or other gadgets while driving.
7. Never leave your child alone in the car.
Games and activities that will teach your child road safety
Play is the best way to teach a child something important. Let's look at a few games and activities you can use to teach your child road safety.
1. Discussion. Tell your child imaginary situations and ask what he would do. For example: “During the game, the ball rolled onto the road. What will you do?" or “You're late for school. Will you run to make it in time?” Listen carefully to what the child answers.
2. Draw a poster with road signs with your child. This way the child will remember them better.
3. To remember road safety rules, road signs, etc., you can come up with a poem or song with your child.
4. For older children, crossword puzzles can be a good way to learn safety rules. You can find examples on the Internet.
5. When you walk with your child on the street, invite him to guess the sounds that you hear around him.
6. Use worksheets with tests and activities to teach your child rules. You can download such tests for different age groups.
A few facts about road safety
1. In 50% of road accidents, the victims are pedestrians or cyclists.
2. Wearing a bicycle helmet reduces the likelihood of serious injury from a collision by 40%.
3. Following speed limits reduces the likelihood of injury during a collision.
4. Child car seats reduce the risk of injury to children in road accidents by 54 - 80%.
5. Proper use of seat belts reduces the risk of injury by 51%.
6. When you reduce your speed by 1 km/h, you reduce the risk of an accident by 2%.
Make learning safety rules fun for your child. Otherwise, the child will not perceive what you tell him. You can join forces with other parents and organize activities that teach children about road safety. Children, as a rule, have a highly developed imagination. They may exaggerate what you tell them. Therefore, be careful: your task is to teach the child, not to scare him.
Related links:
- How to keep your child safe
- Child safety when riding a bicycle
- Safety rules: teaching children without scaring them
- Ten ways to talk about safety
- More articles on children's health
In high school
Middle and high school students need a different approach. They also love online interactives and quests, but the presentation can and should be more complicated.
You can talk to teenagers for longer, covering a larger volume of knowledge at a time. Systemic work is also carried out by employees of the State Traffic Inspectorate - they visit schools, conduct lectures, trainings, and simply talk with children. An important role is played by holding “safety minutes” at the end of the school day.
Photo: TASS/Anton Vergun
In addition, older schoolchildren can be involved in working with younger ones - for this there are units of young traffic inspectors (YIT), which appeared in Soviet times.
“Safety is mainly on paper”: what is the cause of accidents with buses
Passenger transport accidents have increased despite stricter safety measures
— Children participate in creative competitions, drive two-wheelers, learn traffic rules, etc. This is a huge movement of interests, which the State Traffic Inspectorate is gradually reforming today so that it also becomes the basis for subsequent education,” noted the president of the expert Natalya Agre.
Additionally
At unregulated crossings, pedestrians are allowed to enter the road only after they have assessed the distance to the approaching vehicle and the speed of the vehicles. It is necessary to make sure that crossing the roadway will not pose a threat to their life and health. When crossing the road outside the marking zone, pedestrians should not interfere with the movement of vehicles. It is prohibited to step out from behind a static vehicle or other object that limits visibility without first making sure that there are no approaching vehicles. Upon entering the roadway area, a person should not linger or stop unless it concerns safety. If a vehicle approaches with blue signals or red and blue beacons on, as well as equipped with special sound, people crossing the area must stop and allow these vehicles to pass. Those planning to cross the roadway should refrain from driving. Waiting for a minibus or other regular vehicle is carried out at special stopping points. Such places are equipped with landing platforms raised above the roadway. If there are no such points, you can wait for transport on the side of the road or on the sidewalk.
Major violations of pedestrians and passengers
Everyone is obliged to follow the rules, since this allows them to avoid emergency situations, however, violations do happen quite often. As an example, let's look at the most common violations.
| Major violations by pedestrians | Failure to comply with rules by passengers |
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Even if a violation has occurred, the guilt of the passenger, pedestrian or driver must be proven. Before the law, these traffic participants have equal rights, and also, each assumes certain responsibilities.
