Road safety for children: Make it simple, fun & memorable

CAIRO - 2 September 2017: Children up to 10 years old do not yet have the knowledge or skills to handle traffic situations without adult supervision. With that in mind, it is important to teach your children about road safety as soon as they are old enough to step out of the house.

As part of ET’s “With You on The Road Campaign,” we have put together some handy tips to help you teach your child about safe behavior on the road, as well as a few red flags that any parent or caretaker must always remember.

Teach your child the “4 Road Crossing Steps”

Children are yet to develop the maturity to grasp what to do and what not to do. Therefore, it is important to avoid giving them more information than they can handle, so:

Stick to the basic keywords “STOP, LOOK, LISTEN and THINK,” to make sure they know step by step how to safely cross the road.



Introduce your child to driveway safety measures

Too many injuries and unfortunate accidents occur in driveways and parking lots, where children are not aware of the possibility of getting hurt by reversing cars, and drivers have difficulty recognizing children hiding behind their vehicles.

Teach your child these “Two Driveway Rules”:



A big part of driveway safety responsibility lies in the attention and carefulness of the driver, so make sure to look around the vehicle before getting in, and always check for any children or toys lying around.

Always reverse slowly and be very careful to look out for any children in your field of view and blind spot.

Make sure your child knows how to stay safe in a moving vehicle

The first safety rule you can never forget is making sure your child is always properly strapped in. An adjusted child restraint seat will minimize the chances of your child getting injured in a crash.

To make sure that your child is always safe, even if you are not around, teach them these “Two Car OFF LIMITS”:



Lead by example to keep your children safe

This is what is going on in your child’s mind, ““If mummy and daddy can run across the street, then so can I.”

Make sure that you know and follow all procedures that ensure your own safety on the road as well as that of your child. If you are driving, fasten your seatbelt, be attentive at all times, respect traffic lights, stop at crossroads and pay attention to pedestrians. If you are walking, stay on the sidewalks, cross only at intersections, use the pedestrian crossing and always train your children to look both ways before crossing the road.

Make “Road Safety” fun and memorable

All of the above are some basic “dos” and “don’ts” that you have to keep in mind at all times. But to properly introduce your children to the concept of road safety and deliver a memorable and fun lesson, it never hurts to resort to some magic tools: paint, games, songs and rhymes.

Street Safe Game
Using the arrow keys, your child will have to help the character cross the road safely, following basic safety measures, to collect points.

Stop Look Listen Game
Developed by “Think! Road Safety Campaign” the game will require your child to choose, between two pictures, the safest way to behave on the road.

There are also a lot of animated road safety songs that your child can enjoy and learn from:



HOW DID YOU TEACH YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT ROAD SAFETY, SHARE YOUR IDEAS WITH US IN A COMMENT …