Children are at risk of serious injury from car and pedestrian accidents. These accidents are the leading cause of death and the second leading cause of injury to children over 5 years of age. It’s important to have a save place away from vehicles for kids to play, that they are supervised at all times when around vehicles and that they’re taught the skills they need to be safe pedestrians.
Children under 10 years of age need to be supervised at all times near traffic. Adults around them can help model safe behaviour and teach them the skills they need to be safe pedestrians.
Hold your child’s hand when crossing the road and where possible only cross at pedestrian crossings and traffic lights.
Children can cope more safely in traffic on their own by the ages of 10 to 13 years of age. However the busier the roads they’re crossing, the older they should be. Plan safe routes and practice them together, especially for walks to school and other places visited regularly. Make sure your child wears light or brightly coloured clothing that is easy for drivers to see.
Children 13+ years of age should be ready to cope with traffic on their own, ensure they are aware of the road rules, road signs and any changes to these.
It’s important to take into account each child’s skills and development and ensure you’ve gone through the road rules, traffic signs and general pedestrian safety before you let them walk or ride by themselves.
It’s important to teach kids and teens not to use phones or other devices when they are crossing or are near a road. It is important that their full attention is on the road and crossing safely. If music is being played or devices are being used they may not notice a car, bike or tram in time or be tempted to look down at the device while they are crossing the road.
Always look both ways before crossing tram lines, cross at the designated crossing zones and follow the light signals. Watch out for pram and bicycle wheels getting caught in the tram tracks – riding directly across the tracks at a right angle can help avoid getting wheels stuck in the grooves.
Most cars have a “blind space” behind them of more than 15 metres! It can be impossible to see small children from inside a vehicle, especially when they are directly behind it.
Always check around the outside of your vehicle, including behind the wheels, before driving and it’s important to know where kids are whenever a vehicle is being moved, especially in or out of driveways. Children should be either:
Never use your driveway as a play space. If you need to use the front yard use security doors, fencing and gates to restrict access to the driveway and road.
Reversing cameras are a good extra safety feature but they do not replace the need for adult supervision and knowing where children are at all times.
