ROAD SAFETY WEEK: 15-21 November 2021
Please have a look at the road safety information and links below. This is vitally important in order to keep our young people safe on these dark mornings and evenings. We will be looking at these important messages in school also.
‘Road Safety Week’ will be Running between 15-21 November 2021 this year, it provides you with the opportunity to augment your regular road safety programme across the Key Stages.
It is an opportune time with the clocks having gone back around mid-term to highlight the ‘Be Safe, Be Seen’ message with so many children walking either all or part of the way to/from school. A leaflet is available at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/be-safe-be-seen-leaflet Why not show your children the difference wearing hi-visibility clothing can make and apply it to the journey they make on a daily basis – remember bright/fluorescent by day, reflective by night!
How many of your children know and can use the Green Cross Code? It is widely accepted that up to the age of eight years, children are not yet ready to accurately judge the speed and distance of vehicles and should therefore be accompanied by an older pedestrian (parent/child-minder for example) if/when they need to cross a road. Therefore the focus up to this point should be the simplified version of Stop, Look, Listen – looking and listening both before and whilst crossing. From the age of eight years children should be introduced to and taught to use the full six steps of the Green Cross Code: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/road-safety-seven-11-year-olds#toc-0
Seat belt wearing and use of child car seats is another issue which is important to highlight – including on those short journeys to/from school that are made on a daily basis. Don’t forget the adults in your school community also need reminding of the requirement to wear a seat belt. More information is available at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/child-car-seats-restraints-and-seat-belts
Do your children know how to safely use bus transport – waiting for a bus, lining up sensibly, getting on/off the vehicle, safe storage of schoolbags during the journey, and crossing roads to reach the bus stop or after getting off the bus. A PowerPoint presentation for primary pupils and a leaflet for parents is available at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/bus-safety-primary-leaflet-and-presentation
All of the topics highlighted above are covered in the ‘Road Safety Teaching Aid’ calendars which were issued for each class in every school across Northern Ireland in September. They are also available online: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/road-safety-teaching-aid-calendars .
Information on road safety education is also available at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/information-and-services/road-safety/road-safety-education-resources
Menu
