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Friday, 21 November 2008
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Parents
Teenage road safety
Teenagers are more at risk on the roads than they think. Most teenagers don't realise that they are more likely to be killed or injured in a road accident than any other age group.
Help protect your child
You could talk to your child and reinforce road safety messages to help keep them safe:
- stress the need to concentrate and be careful at all times
- warn of the dangers of distractions; wearing personal stereos, using the phone or texting while walking are big distractions
- keep talking about the dangers of traffic
- point out people who are endangering themselves
- encourage your teenager to practice judging the speed and distance of approaching vehicles on busy roads and identify safe gaps in the traffic
- stress that your child should never lose concentration and follow others blindly into dangerous situations
Cycling
- buy and encourage them to wear a cycle helmet
- encourage your child not to take lifts on the back of a friend's bike - even if it's raining/quicker
- ask your child never to wear a walkman while they are cycling
Reinforce their skills
- ask your child where the risks (eg hidden entrances) are on their route or play games guessing what speed cars are travelling
- talk about the routes your child takes regularly, ask questions about what is on the route to see if they take notice of their environment
Peace of mind
For your peace of mind, have routines that you can both stick to. You could try discussing the following points and finding an answer for each of them:
- what will they do if they miss the last bus home?
- do they have a mobile (fully charged), a phone card, money or know how to reverse the charges if they need you?
- what should your teenager do if they have to stay behind at school?
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