“A child who learns about traffic rules and road discipline will grow up to be a law-abiding citizen. The habit of obeying traffic rules teaches a person a sense of responsibility, empathy for others and respecting the other person’s rights,” – The Hindu
Children become the lamentable victims in road accidents due to lack of awareness. Hence, educating the children can be a crucial task since it is dealt with ensuring the safety of future generation.
In fact, the question is how to educate them? When you schedule awareness classes for children, ensure that it is coherent and specific. By rendering awareness, you will obtain a responsible future generation, who prioritize road safety above all.
Road Safety for School Kids
Nevertheless, it is never early to educate your children regarding road safety rules and thus usher them to be “street smart”.
Transform learning into a fun activity
First and foremost, for teaching the children efficiently, learning should be made an amusing and interactive activity. Why? Strangely enough, children will be distracted swiftly without a specific reason and will be engaged in their own world. Let’s check out certain techniques by which you can retrieve their attention:
- Generate a map encompassing your child’s walking route, street names, and relevant landmarks
- Conduct quiz whenever you stroll out with your child. Inquire the rules related to crosswalks and intersection and assist the kids to decipher the relevance of road signals
- Arrange a game that motivates the child to follow your footsteps
Provide a demonstration to your kid
Here follows certain basic safety tips that will become worthwhile to you:
The rules to be followed while walking on the road
- Comply the rule “left-right-left” before crossing the road. Maintain eye contact with drivers and ensure that no vehicle is close-by
- Remove your headphone and listen. By listening, you will be able to realize whether a vehicle is approaching you or not
- Stroll at the inside edge of the sidewalk, which is away from the road. If sidewalk
doesn’t exist in that road, walk in the direction of oncoming traffic in such a way that you can have a clear view of the vehicles approaching you
- Remain visible. Clothe yourself with reflective materials or bright clothes. Utilize flashlights or stay under street lights after dark
- Never practice jaywalking
The rules to be followed while driving your vehicle
- Control your vehicle speed. Realize that 30km/h speed is permitted during school hours and remain vigilant since your kid is observing all your deeds
- Have ample patience. Drop your child near the sidewalk. Never allow them to dash from the middle of the road
- Adhere to the safety laws. Have a consideration for other road users and school buses, especially when the lights are flashing
Relevance of Road Safety Awareness
Consequently, the rising city traffic and rural areas of the country has evidently increased the relevance of road safety education. Moreover, the road safety programs require the constant participation from students, and only with their participation, the road safety education become successful.
Meanwhile, the road safety education intends to provide awareness and impart education regarding the traffic rules to students. In addition, it is your responsibility to compel them to follow rules both as pedestrian and motorists. Furthermore, you can teach them to promptly contact the relevant authorities such as medical or transport aid, especially during adverse circumstances.
In the meantime, road safety awareness is a team responsibility of students, teacher, school authorities, and parents. At the same time, each of them has had a unique role in rendering the safety awareness to students. As a parent and teacher, you should serve as a paradigm of the “ideal road user” to the students.
Thus, for instance,
- While crossing the bustled streets, you should compulsorily hold the hands of your kids and forbid them running or walking ahead
- Teach them to be aware of the ideal time to safely cross the road
- Insist them to stay beside you, away from the road traffic
- Emphasize the essential safety tips, which enable children to remain attentive on the road while crossing the busy roads
- Advise them to choose the apt and safe place to cross the road
- Provide a brief awareness of various road signs and motivate them to decide the right time to cross the road
- Recount the essential safety rules in simple terms
Ask the following questions to your kid:
- Where is the safest place to cross the road?
- Before crossing the road, what is the mandatory activity that should be committed?
- Is there a need for holding hands while crossing the road together?
- Which is the excellent time to cross the road safely?
- At what juncture, should you listen to vehicle sounds?
Presumably, while crossing the road, it is wise to construe each activity performed by you to your kids. Therefore, kid will recognize the significance of each safety rule.