road safety is a great subject in which to engage children and young people. It's a subject even the youngest children know something about because everyone uses roads, and road danger impacts on everyone. It’s also a vitally important subject.
Road crashes are a major cause of death and injury among the young, with the risk rising as children reach secondary school age and have more independence, and young drivers and passengers facing significant risks. Danger from traffic is also a big factor in whether children and young people are able to walk and cycle to school, to the park or to see friends, and therefore their ability to be healthy and socially active.
Below are some guidelines on teaching road safety for children and young people in age groups from age 2 to 18, and some ideas for lessons and activities, including some that can be run in assemblies or citizenship lessons, and some that can be incorporated into subjects like Maths, Science, Drama and English.
Road Safety is a very serious issue today since every person uses the road in some form of the other. Poor, rich, young, old everyone uses the road. Right from birth till death (and even after, in a funeral) everyone uses the road. Can you remember a single day when you have not used the road? That would happen only if you are sick or stay put at home without moving out at all. Even if you are challenged (physically, mentally, visually) you will be using the road. Your use could be active (directly driving or riding or walking) or passive (being driven in a vehicle as a passenger). So the point I am trying to imply is that every person needs to be educated on proper road usage and safe road behaviour.
Huge amount of education and awareness needs to be spread on road safety. This could be done in several ways :
Road safety education could be made part of school and college curriculum, irrespective of the course or field of study.
Media like TV, films and advertisements could be responsible towards road safety by refraining from showing unsafe road behaviour. Certain amount of minimum space and time in all forms of media should be reserved for spreading road safety knowledge and simple safe road behaviour applicable to all.
There should be refresher courses for all driver categories to keep them abreast of new developments in the field and sensitise them about their responsibilities towards passengers.
Safety video should be shown at the start of every bus journey (especially Volvo buses) like it is done for flights.
Regular and sustained campaign should be done in villages and rural areas about the risks on the roads and how to stay safe.
