Why road safety matters
Fifteen children aged 0–5 were killed and 416 seriously injured on Britain’s roads in 2010.
The purpose of this booklet is for parents and carers to be alert to the risks children face on the road and provide the best examples of how to behave.
Your child is learning about road safety at his or her nursery or school but as a parent or carer you also play a big part in helping your child to learn how to stay safe. Children will copy adults’ behaviour, so if they see you taking risks they will probably take risks too.
One of the best ways that you can help your child to stay safe is to set a good example when using roads, on foot and in the car. This booklet will also help you to show your child how to recognise traffic, how to behave in the street and how to cross the road safely when with you. It also contains guidance on how children can Be Bright, Be Seen and the law relating to child car seats and seat belts.
Still not sure that road safety matters?
- Research shows that young children can't judge how fast vehicles are going or how far away they are.
- In comparison with other countries, Britain’s overall road safety record for children is on the whole very good, and its rate for child fatalities is well below the European average. But our record on child pedestrian fatalities remains less good than many European countries, though improving rapidly.
Recognising traffic
Children aged 3 to 5 need to learn what traffic is and understand that it can be dangerous. They also need to know about the different types of traffic found on roads.
