Back to school
It’s that time of year again with the new school term starts on the 6th September for lots of pupils. Make sure your child is road safe when travelling to school by taking a look at our tips below.
Walking to school
If your child walks to school make sure they:
- Are wearing visible clothing and accessories incorporating reflective and fluorescent materials in the evening and during other low-light situations, such as rainy or foggy conditions.
- Always use a pavement or footpath whenever these are available, but still take care and look out for other people, vehicles and cars, particularly around entrances to driveways and car parks.
- Stop, look and listen - These three simple instructions are easy for everyone to remember whenever and wherever they cross the road.
- Stop at the kerbside, just behind the edge, rather than on it.
- Look carefully in all directions, left, right, front, behind to check that there are no cars approaching.
- Listen for other cars nearby. Sometimes you can hear a car before it appears.
- If they are walking home with their friends make sure they know that they need to keep safe and not get distracted from the rules of the road by their friends.
- Encourage them to take direct routes with the fewest roads to cross, unless you feel it would compromise their safety.
- Take special care to look out for bicycles and electric cars, neither of which make much noise.
- Are accompanied by you or another adult on their school journey until you are confident they have developed the skills necessary to identify the various risks on their journey.
The Road Safety team support the Footsteps programme. For further information visit the footsteps web page and find out if your school runs this programme.
Cycling to school
If your child cycles to school:
- Make sure the bike is road worthy. Check brakes work, tyres are inflated correctly and have good tread. The bicycle will needs working lights and reflectors if they will be cycling before sun rise and after sun set.
- Have the right clothing, light coloured, fluorescent or reflective items are recommended so other road users can see them.
- Ensure they wear a cycle helmet to protect their head.
- Cycle safely on the roads, look before they start, stop or manoeuvre and signal as necessary. Explain to them that they should not expect a driver or pedestrian to know what they are going to do, they must signal.
- Never listen to an Ipod, MP3 player or use a mobile phone whilst cycling as they need to be able to hear what is going on and be aware what is happening around them.
- Are accompanied by you or another adult on their school journey until you are confident they have developed the skills necessary to identify the various risks on their journey.
The Road Safety team support Cycle Training. Visit the cycle training website for further information.
Travelling by car
Children who are 4 to 11 year’s old and who are between 15kg and 36kg in weight will need to use a booster seat so the seatbelt protects them, this is because seatbelts are designed to hold a person who is 150cm (5ft) tall.
Make sure you have the correct seat for your child and car:
- Using a full booster seat will ensure the seatbelt is in the correct position on their body. It guides the lap belt to ensure it is kept low over the hip/pelvis and ensures the diagonal belt is through the middle of the rib cage, spreading the force more evenly and reducing the likelihood of broken ribs and punctured lungs in a collision.
- Booster cushions are still legal for 6 -11 year olds who weight 22kg to 36kg. However they are not as safe as a full booster seat with a base and back, as a result these are being phased out and we recommend the use of full booster seats.
- Children in a forward facing child car seat should only travel in the front of a car if the front passenger airbag is switched off, or if the vehicle manufacturer’s handbook states that it is safe. If no recommendation from vehicle handbook is available then we would suggest they need to be 150cm tall before sitting in the front with an active airbag.
- The Child Passenger Law requires a suitable child seat or booster depending on the child’s size and age. Adult seatbelts are for children who are 135cm or aged 12 and over. However, a seatbelt has been designed to hold a person that is at least 150cm tall, due to this we would encourage you to use a booster seat for your child until they are 150cm tall, so they have full protection from the seatbelt.
