Road Safety

Road
Safety for All

Road safety is an important subject that I truly believe should be
taught at an early age, and followed as children grow into their teen
and young adult years. Not only is it important to teach children,
but I also think it’s just as important to teach teens when they
start their driving journey. Children and young teens should all be
made aware of road safety, so they can start developing a
understanding for how important it is not only for ourselves, but
also for the people around us.

Poor road safety
skills not only means children and young teens are in danger, but
also being hurt or killed. It greatly affects their wellbeing and
health. Children are increasingly being driven to school, and are
less likely to regularly walk. Contributing to inactivity, obesity
and affecting social development.

Getting parents
on board with your road safety messages is just as important, given
their responsibilities for protecting children, especially at younger
age. Children are likely to learn from their parent’s behavior and
copy what they do. It is therefore a good idea when teaching or
practicing road safety to consider how you can reach out to the
parents and the children at the same time.

Think carefully
about what language to use when teaching road safety so you can
properly communicate it importance in a powerful, memorable, and even
sensitive manner. Younger ages should be taught in a more sensitive
way, and they might not have an understanding of death or illness.
Using activity lessons, toys, and many physical learning styles, can
be key ways to getting young people involved in wanting to learn and
participate in the discussion.

No matter the
age, it is always important to try to focus on the awareness and the
importance of always making good choices. Getting everyone to know
that bad things on the road can be avoided, is crucial. Avoiding the
words “Car Accident” lets us teach that these types of
events can be avoided, and that it is important to learn and practice
road safety to try to reduce these incidents.