Road Safety is so vitally important for children and is something that should be addressed early on through education and even more importantly, role-modelling. As parents, teachers and carers, we are well aware of how perceptive children are and how they love to mimic the words and actions of adults. It is therefore imperative that the lessons and words that we are teaching children, are backed up by our own actions.
The Transport Accident Commission (TAC), is a Victorian Government-owned organisation that is involved in promoting road safety in Victoria and in improving services for Victoria's drivers. The TAC works closely with VicRoads, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD), community groups and a range of other organisations to deliver road safety programs and key messages at meaningful and relevant times.
The Transport Accident Commission (TAC), is a Victorian Government-owned organisation that is involved in promoting road safety in Victoria and in improving services for Victoria's drivers. The TAC works closely with VicRoads, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD), community groups and a range of other organisations to deliver road safety programs and key messages at meaningful and relevant times.
To support the program for our youngest and often most vulnerable members of our community, TAC developed a TVC campaign “ThingleToodle” to encourage safe road user behaviour in young children through a focus on parental role modelling.
There are 5 main messages that ThingleToodle helps children (and adults) to learn and remember about keeping safe on and around our roads. These are delivered in a fun and entertaining way through animations and catchy songs.
My children, (aged 3 and almost 6) enjoyed watching them all.
As a teacher of the early years, Road Safety is something that was often taught in our classrooms over a few sessions, sometimes with a traffic safety educator that comes to the school and then modelled and reinforced throughout the year. These days, Road Safety Education has been given higher importance in primary schools with the development of a program called Kids On The Move. It has been designed to assist primary schools to implement a core road safety education program. In doing so, schools will make a contribution to improving the safety of children and families within the school community. A minimum of 12 hours class time should be spent on these activities over the targeted year levels. Enrichment activities focusing on Bike Ed and active transport are also available to enhance school road safety programs. You can find the program for the lower levels (Levels 1 & 2, ages 4-7) here.
Once again, it is by actually doing and practicing the correct road safety behaviours that will ensure that it becomes second nature to children and something that will stay with them over their lifetime.
When it comes to educating my own children, I know that the only real way that they are going to learn to be safe around cars and roads is through parental modelling and constant reinforcement of safety points every time we come to a road safety situation.
Just as the teachers at school who are out on yard duty will wear a hat outside in the warmer months to model and reinforce the expected behaviour to children, parents also need to model the expected road safety behaviours so that their children understand that it's just a standard part of life. We buckle our seat-belts when we get in the car, we wear our helmets when we ride bikes, we stop, look, listen and think each time we come to the road and we make sure to talk about it each time.
Road safety is not something that is taught in one lesson and there's not a clever game that once your children have played it, they are set for road safety. Road safety is a life long lesson that begins from birth as we model the correct behaviours and carries through their life as you remind them and practice each step with your child.
Whenever you find yourself in a situation where road safety comes into question (like when you're crossing the road, getting out of the car in the car-park, going on a bike ride etc.), you should make a point of talking about the lessons you've learnt. Use the below information to guide your questioning and give you points to think about and discuss with your children. Be sure to involve your children in the decision making so that they can practice what they have learnt. Is it safe to cross the road now? Why/Why not?
For even more resources (including some worksheets which can be used to complement your modelling and practice but not replace it) have a look at the Kids On the Move modules and activities and the Road Safety Education site under "resources" (tab at the top).
• Be a good road safety role model. Children are great copycats and learn by watching important adults in their lives. When it comes to teaching children, what you do is often much more important than what you say. Always wear your own seatbelt, obey road rules, drive courteously and cross roads safely.
• Never leave children alone to play near parked or moving vehicles, and separate your children’s play areas from driveways.
• Get children in and out of cars safely by making it a habit to use the doors facing away from traffic (the safety door) where possible. As your child becomes more independent, they will then expect to continue this habit.
• It is the law that all occupants of a vehicle wear a seatbelt. Children are usually unable to do up their own seatbelts and require assistance from an adult. It's important to check that the seatbelt is clicked in correctly and that you are setting the right example by always wearing a seatbelt yourself.
My children, (aged 3 and almost 6) enjoyed watching them all.
As a teacher of the early years, Road Safety is something that was often taught in our classrooms over a few sessions, sometimes with a traffic safety educator that comes to the school and then modelled and reinforced throughout the year. These days, Road Safety Education has been given higher importance in primary schools with the development of a program called Kids On The Move. It has been designed to assist primary schools to implement a core road safety education program. In doing so, schools will make a contribution to improving the safety of children and families within the school community. A minimum of 12 hours class time should be spent on these activities over the targeted year levels. Enrichment activities focusing on Bike Ed and active transport are also available to enhance school road safety programs. You can find the program for the lower levels (Levels 1 & 2, ages 4-7) here.
Once again, it is by actually doing and practicing the correct road safety behaviours that will ensure that it becomes second nature to children and something that will stay with them over their lifetime.
When it comes to educating my own children, I know that the only real way that they are going to learn to be safe around cars and roads is through parental modelling and constant reinforcement of safety points every time we come to a road safety situation.
Just as the teachers at school who are out on yard duty will wear a hat outside in the warmer months to model and reinforce the expected behaviour to children, parents also need to model the expected road safety behaviours so that their children understand that it's just a standard part of life. We buckle our seat-belts when we get in the car, we wear our helmets when we ride bikes, we stop, look, listen and think each time we come to the road and we make sure to talk about it each time.
Road safety is not something that is taught in one lesson and there's not a clever game that once your children have played it, they are set for road safety. Road safety is a life long lesson that begins from birth as we model the correct behaviours and carries through their life as you remind them and practice each step with your child.
How to help children learn about road safety at home
To help teach your children road safety at home, I recommend watching the below videos with your child and talking about them and all 5 important points. You would be surprised how well children respond to things they see on television or in film. If the TV says so, it must be so! The videos are fabulous for reinforcing the same messages that you are modelling and talking about at home. (In fact, since watching the videos, my just turned 3y/o, who always knew we had to do up our seat-belts, now can not get in the car without instructing and reminding each of us that we need our seat-belts done up, haha. It's quite cute).Whenever you find yourself in a situation where road safety comes into question (like when you're crossing the road, getting out of the car in the car-park, going on a bike ride etc.), you should make a point of talking about the lessons you've learnt. Use the below information to guide your questioning and give you points to think about and discuss with your children. Be sure to involve your children in the decision making so that they can practice what they have learnt. Is it safe to cross the road now? Why/Why not?
For even more resources (including some worksheets which can be used to complement your modelling and practice but not replace it) have a look at the Kids On the Move modules and activities and the Road Safety Education site under "resources" (tab at the top).
1) Be a good role model
• Be a good road safety role model. Children are great copycats and learn by watching important adults in their lives. When it comes to teaching children, what you do is often much more important than what you say. Always wear your own seatbelt, obey road rules, drive courteously and cross roads safely.
• Never leave children alone to play near parked or moving vehicles, and separate your children’s play areas from driveways.
• Get children in and out of cars safely by making it a habit to use the doors facing away from traffic (the safety door) where possible. As your child becomes more independent, they will then expect to continue this habit.
2) Wear a helmet when riding a bike or other wheeled toys
• Ensure children wear correctly fitted helmets that meet the Australian standard when riding bikes, scooters or wheeled toys, and get your child in the habit of removing their helmet after they have finished riding.
• Correct helmet fitting tips:
• Children under the age of 12 years can ride a bicycle on footpaths, but cyclists must ensure to keep left and give way to any pedestrians. Cyclists must also be very careful when crossing driveways and roads. Accompanying adults can also ride on the footpath with children aged under 12 years.
• It is the law to wear a helmet so parents should always wear one if they are riding as they are role models to their children.
• Even if playing in the driveway or footpath outside the house, if children are using a bicycle, skateboard or scooter they should wear a helmet so that it becomes a good habit in these early development years.
• Correct helmet fitting tips:
- the helmet should be the correct size for the child
- it should cover the upper part of the forehead and
- sit level on the head
• Children under the age of 12 years can ride a bicycle on footpaths, but cyclists must ensure to keep left and give way to any pedestrians. Cyclists must also be very careful when crossing driveways and roads. Accompanying adults can also ride on the footpath with children aged under 12 years.
• It is the law to wear a helmet so parents should always wear one if they are riding as they are role models to their children.
• Even if playing in the driveway or footpath outside the house, if children are using a bicycle, skateboard or scooter they should wear a helmet so that it becomes a good habit in these early development years.
3) Always wear a seatbelt in the car and sit in an appropriate child car seat
• It is the law that all occupants of a vehicle wear a seatbelt. Children are usually unable to do up their own seatbelts and require assistance from an adult. It's important to check that the seatbelt is clicked in correctly and that you are setting the right example by always wearing a seatbelt yourself.
• Children are safest when they are in a child car seat that is appropriate for their age and size. By law, all children aged under 7 years must be secured in a child car seat. However, an adult seatbelt is still not the safest option for most 7 year old children, given their size and weight. Children should continue using a booster seat until they have outgrown it, or until they fit well in a normal seatbelt.
• Many child restraints are not installed correctly. To check that your child is safe, check:
- The restraint is the right size for your child
- The restraint is correctly fitted to your vehicle
- The restraint is properly fasted and adjusted for your child
• Ensure your child travels in the safest restraint. If you are confused about what restraint or booster seat to buy, visit the Child Restraint Evaluation Program (CREP) website at www.childcarseats.com.au Here you will find a number of child car seats that have been tested and rated on crash protection and ease of use.
4) Hold hands with an adult when crossing the road
• Five things adults can do to keep kids safe near roads:
- Supervise children
- Hold hands when crossing the road
- Talk with children about how to safely cross the road and practise the skill together
- Involve children in crossing the road by asking them to help make decisions about when it is safe to cross
- Model safe road crossing behaviour and set a good example for children.
5) Stop, Look, Listen, Think
• Stop, Look, Listen and Think is a road safety procedure that is embedded in the VicRoads Starting out Safely program, which focuses on early childhood road safety. Kids need the important adults in their lives to provide them with plenty of supervised practice in the real road environment to help develop their understanding of these concepts so that it becomes second nature to them and supports the development of safe young people.
STOP
- Show them how some traffic can take a long time to stop.
- Watch traffic stopping at road signs or crossings. Show your children that traffic doesn't always come to a complete stop. It is important to always check that traffic has stopped completely before crossing the road.
LOOK
- Look for vehicles reversing from driveways. Talk about the 'clues' that tell you that a vehicle might appear. For example, people waving goodbye, something moving, exhaust fumes, reversing lights or beeping sounds.
- Point out the traffic signs, signals and road markings and talk about what they each mean.
LISTEN
- Does a car and truck sound the same?
- Do some vehicles sound fast or slow?
- Are some vehicles harder to see and hear?
THINK
- Do you think we have time to cross the road?
- Do we have a long way to walk across the road?
- Have you looked everywhere for traffic?
For more information, visit roadsafetyeducation.vic.gov.au
THINGLETOODLE AT THE MOVIES!
This Saturday (20th Dec), from 10am-1pm, bring the kids down to Knox Village Cinemas where ThingleToodle will be appearing live!
He will also be making an appearance at Sunshine on Saturday 10th January.
There'll be fun, interactive stations for the kids including a spinning wheel and badge making.
WIN 4 x Village Cinemas Movie Passes (RRP $80)! *This competition is now closed. The winner will be contacted shortly.
To win 4 x Village Cinema Movie Passes, simply leave a comment below answering the question:
"How will ThingleToodle help my child learn road safety?"
Good luck!
For even more information and great teacher resources on keeping children safe in and around the car, see my previous article, "Keeping kids safe in the car"
You can also read more and find further teaching resources at Starting Out Safely. This is the core early childhood road safety education program, designed to provide road safety information and support to parents and carers of children under six years.
You can also read more and find further teaching resources at Starting Out Safely. This is the core early childhood road safety education program, designed to provide road safety information and support to parents and carers of children under six years.
Safe travels,
Debs :)
{Disclosure: this is a paid post for TAC sponsored by Nuffnang. Transport Accident Commission (TAC) is a Victorian Government-owned organisation that is involved in promoting road safety in Victoria and improving services for Victoria's drivers. As always, opinions expressed in this post are my own. The information given in this post is accurate as of Dec 2014 and comes from the official Victorian websites as linked. Please check the road rules in your own state and country for up to date laws that may apply to you that aren't listed here.}
Look where else we are. Are you following along? :)
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