According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every five traffic accident deaths in 2008 among children ages 5 to 9 were pedestrians. Some of these tragic accidents may have been prevented by better road safety education and supervision. Children should be taught road safety rules from a young age with consistent reinforcement as they grow older. There are many ways that parents and child educators can teach children basic road safety rules.
Step 1
Grasp a young toddler's hand when walking on or near roads. Remember that very young children are impulsive and may suddenly dart into a busy road with no warning. Make it a rule that the child must always hold an adult's hand anywhere there is the possibility of moving vehicles.
Step 2
Model good pedestrian safety practices. Children learn by example, so always follow the road safety rules you want them to learn. Always cross streets at corners, and give yourself plenty of time to cross. Obey traffic signals and walk either on sidewalks or on the road facing traffic as far over to the left as you can.
Step 3
Explain road safety rules as you walk with the child. Even if you think the child is too young to understand, verbalize your safe walking practices and he will soon start to pick them up. Before crossing streets, encourage the child to look with you to the left, to the right and back to the left again before crossing. Point out the traffic signals and explain that green means it is safe to walk, and red means to stop and wait.
Step 4
Use role play as children become older to prepare them to handle dangerous situations. Use tape or rope to mark off a pretend road in your yard or house. You can even place toy cars or pedal toys on your "road" to represent vehicles. Act out situations such as a ball rolling into the road or a friend is waving across the street. Guide her to wait for an adult and not impulsively run out into the road.
Step 5
Continue to supervise children around roads to make sure they are following the rules and using good judgment. The Safe Kids Coalition recommends that children under the age of 10 should never cross streets by themselves. When they are ready to cross streets on their own, instruct them to never talk or text on a cell phone while crossing streets and always be alert to their surroundings.
Tips and Warnings
- If children need to walk in the early morning or evening when visibility is poor, make sure they wear light colors or clothing with reflective materials to help drivers see them. Help older children who are ready to walk alone plan a direct route to their destination with the least amount of street crossings.
