Back to school road safety
Last modified: 29 Jul 2020 10:23am
Over 9,500 Selwyn children are heading back to school this week so it’s important that drivers take extra care when travelling through our townships.
Many of these young people will be getting off and on school buses, in and out of cars and walking, biking and scooting to and from school.
School Road Safety Coordinator Stephanie Hautler says we need to make sure our children are reminded of road safety skills. “Road safety starts at home but children can be a bit rusty after a few weeks off so keep a close eye out for them,” she says. “It’s the right time to refresh your kids on the kerb drill, to watch out for sneaky driveways and to check they are wearing their helmets and hi viz”.
If your children walk or bike to school independently take them on practice bike rides or walks to school while the roads are quiet.
“Find a safe route that minimises the amount of road crossing they have to do, the shortest route may not always be the safest,” Stephanie advises.
The kerb drill:
- Stop one step back from the kerb.
- Look and listen for traffic coming from all directions.
- If there is traffic coming, wait until it has passed and then look and listen for traffic again.
- If there is no traffic coming, walk quickly straight across the road.
- While crossing, look and listen for traffic, wherever it may come from