Teaching traffic safety for children: Better late than never

Traffic safety for children is not only the responsibility of parents, the school but also the society. Teaching your child safety rules in traffic from a young age is important to make sure your child understands and practices correctly.

Every year, the number of traffic accidents all over the world is increasing. According to statistics, every day, about 480 children are injured in a road accident. Before this problem, traffic safety education for children from an early age is extremely urgent. Family is the cradle to nurture and educate children more effectively than ever. So what traffic safety rules have you practiced to teach your baby? If you are still wondering where to start, the following shares will help you.

The importance of traffic safety rules for children on the road

Unlike adults, children are still not aware of what to do and what not to do while on the road. Without adult supervision and skills while on the road, children can face many dangers. According to statistics, each year, about 3% of people who die from road accidents are children. Every day, about 480 children are injured in a road accident. More worrying is that out of 4,884 pedestrians killed in the accidents, 207 of the victims were children.

Therefore, to ensure traffic safety for your child, it is best to teach your child safety rules while on the road. Make sure your child understands what you say and tries to be a role model every day.

1. Recognize light signals

Teach your child about the signal lights and the meaning of each color:

Green means "go": when the light turns green, the car will start to move

Red means “stop”: When the light turns red, all vehicles must stop

Yellow means “slow down”: When the light turns yellow, the vehicle will slow down to prepare to stop

The “pedestrian” symbol on the signal lights: Cross the street only if it turns green. However, when crossing, look both left and right to see if there is a vehicle approaching you or not

Never cross the street when the "pedestrian" symbol turns red.

2. Stop, watch, then cross the street

Crossing the street is a situation that your child will have to encounter often during the day, such as having to cross the street to catch a bus to a friend's house. Therefore, you should teach your child skills and how to safely cross the street.

Always look for "pedestrian" signals on the lights and walk on the pedestrian crossing. Without these signals, you should teach your child to:

Look to the right and then left to see if any vehicle is approaching

If so, wait for the vehicle to pass before crossing the street

Do not cross between vehicles waiting for a red light.

Adults must accompany children under six years old when crossing the street.

3. Pay attention to watch - Listen

It is not always possible to see approaching vehicle, especially if the child is standing near a curve. So, you should teach your child to listen attentively to everything to know if a car is approaching or not. Drivers often honk their horns at curves or intersections to signal they are approaching. You need to teach children:

If you hear a siren, stop and look for an approaching vehicle.

Listen for the siren sounds to estimate the distance between the vehicle and where you are - a loud siren means the vehicle is near and a low buzzer means the vehicle is far away.

4. Do not run when crossing the street

Young children tend to run fast when crossing the street or often run along the roads to play. You need to teach your children never to do that to ensure traffic safety for children and the driver.

In addition, children are also very easily distracted and leave your hands to run quickly across the street. This is very dangerous. Therefore, you should teach children to stay calm while on the road and never run.

5. Walk on the sidewalk

Teach children to understand pedestrians must walk on sidewalks. Give them examples to help them determine where to go. Guide children to always walk on the sidewalk whether the road is empty or crowded.

6. White line crossing

Young children tend to run quickly when crossing the street and often pass anywhere they like. This is very dangerous because the car cannot win in time if the child crosses the street unexpectedly. Therefore, show your child how to cross the street at intersections and walk on white lines for pedestrians. If it is just a small road with no pedestrian markings, children must follow the above rules.

Lessons learned about traffic safety rules for children while walking are important for young children and should be incorporated into the school curriculum.

7. Never extend your hand or head out a car window

Young children often like to reach out the window when the car is in motion. Some children even stuck their heads out. This is a very common practice and this seemingly interesting thing contains a lot of danger. If not careful, the child may have a crash when the vehicle on the opposite side moves near.

8. Never cross the street while on a curve

Curves are the driver's blind spot. When crossing a road at a curve, the driver does not know the child's presence so he cannot win in time. You need to teach your child to never cross the street while standing in a curve as it can lead to many dangers.

9. Traffic safety for children while cycling

If you let your kids ride a bike to school, there are some safety rules you need to teach them:

Always wear a helmet when cycling

Check your car before driving - check the lights carefully if going at night

Travel in a bike lane. If not, keep close to the right. When you see a large vehicle, quickly give way to it

Turn on car lights when going into poorly lit areas or going at night.

Do not allow children to ride a bicycle on busy roads without parental supervision.

10. Things to note when sitting in a moving vehicle

While sitting in a moving vehicle, teach your child to wear a seat belt. In addition, you should teach children some rules below:

Never stand up while a vehicle is in motion, especially a bus

Do not walk while the vehicle is in motion

While in the car, hold the safety bar firmly

Do not stick any body parts out of the vehicle.

11. Rules when riding the bus

If your child rides the bus every day, parents should teach them some of the following:

Go early to avoid delays

Line up when getting on or off the bus

Move quickly onto the sidewalk when you get off the bus to avoid obstructing other traffic.

12. Attract attention

Wearing black clothes while walking at night is a pretty bad idea. If you want to ensure your baby's safety, let the driver see your baby by:

Wear light-colored clothing when walking or cycling at night

Wear light-colored clothes all day

Reach out your hand to signal your child's presence to the driver.

13. Don't rush

Young children may be eager and in a hurry to get somewhere or meet someone. This can put the child in danger. You should teach children:

Be in no hurry to get in or out of the car as it could endanger your baby

Watch carefully and don't suddenly pull adults in one direction as this can put both adults and children at risk.

Stay calm and don't rush while walking on the street

Do not open the car door suddenly

Do not play on the road.

7 tips to help ensure your child's safety while on the road

Besides teaching traffic safety rules to children while on the road, parents should also remember a few things:

Seatbelts - Make sure children are seated at all times when riding

Use the car door lock feature to prevent children from opening the doors themselves

Practice with your child - Take a walk, bike ride with your child and teach them rules to remember

Be patient while driving - Parents need to set an example for their children to stay calm and not rush in traffic

Go on time to avoid speedy and hasty driving

Do not use cell phones or other electronic devices while driving

Never leave a child alone in a car.

Traffic safety games for children on the road

The best way to teach your child these rules is to engage them in some fun activities. Here are some activities to try:

Discussion - give them some situations and let them handle them. For example, ask your child: "When I am playing, what should I do if the ball hits the street?" or "Because I was late for school, I quickly crossed the street to catch the bus, is this true or false?".

Have your child draw or color traffic signs to help them remember better.

Compose a simple song to help your child remember the rules of safety while on the road.

Have your child play a crossword about traffic safety. This will help your child remember longer there.

Guessing play - let your child hear some sounds they come across on the road and guess what they are.

Use signs to teach children. You can download it online and print it. Or download a traffic safety app on your phone for your child to play.

Some things about road traffic that you should know

Each year, the number of pedestrians and cyclists who die in traffic accidents accounts for 50% of the total cases.

Wearing a quality helmet can reduce the risk of injury and death from a traffic accident by up to 40%.

Speed ​​control can reduce the risk of injury in an accident.

Wearing seat belts can reduce the chances of dying in an accident by up to 51%.

Teaching traffic safety rules to children while on the road is not an easy task because children tend to pay less attention to what you say. Therefore, you can organize some fun activities to make your children more receptive. Besides, young children are often very imaginative and easy to exaggerate what you say. So, be careful when explaining, how to make children understand, but do not panic.