How We Can Protect Our Children

SCHOOL-going children are particularly vulnerable to traffic-related pedestrian accidents. In South Africa, each day thousands of children either walk or travel by bus to school. Their almost daily contact with traffic and limited experience in this environment expose them to risks on the road.

But we can all help keep the injury and death toll down by understanding children better and practising road safety every day of our lives. Here’s what we can do:

Understanding that young children are different
  • For a start, they are small. This makes it difficult for them to see motorists and for motorists to see them ­ especially where there are parked or moving vehicles and shrubs
  • Their peripheral vision is underdeveloped ­ about one-third narrower than an adult’s ­ so a child won’t see a motorist approaching from the right or left as quickly as an adult will
  • Children have a problem judging a car’s speed and distance. This misjudgment has cost children their lives
  • Many believe that vehicles can stop instantly

Children often think that because they can see the driver, the driver can see them

How you can teach your child road safety when you are crossing a street together
  • Hold your child's hand. Never allow a child under 10 to cross the street alone
  • Stop at the edge of the kerb or parked cars before crossing the street
  • Always look right, left, and right again for moving vehicles before crossing
  • Never walk behind a vehicle that is reversing. This has cost the life of many a child
  • Explain the reasons for your precautions to your child. It helps the learning process
Some of the ways in which parents and motorists can help
  • Parents and motorists must realize that until children are at least 10 or 11 years old, they don’t have the skills to handle traffic
  • Parents can set good examples by obeying road rules
  • Drivers should observe speed limits at all times, especially where there are children. The faster a vehicle travels, the more seriously it can injure a pedestrian
  • When driving near schools or in areas where children may be playing, motorists should always be on the look-out for children who may suddenly dart onto the road
  • When turning at robots, drivers must also watch out for pedestrians, who have the right of way in these situations

 

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