Educating children and teenagers about road safety during Child Safety Week

As Child Safety Week continues, GMP, in conjunction with Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT), is raising awareness of the best ways to keep children safe on Greater Manchester’s roads.

Crossing roads safely

Educating young children regarding the potential hazards on the roads and the best way to cross the roads is key to keeping them safe.

Younger children are more protected against the dangers of the road as they are mostly accompanied by parents as they walk down the side of busy roads. It’s recommended that the accompanying adult is next to the road, not the child.

But as they get older and more independent, they will probably need to cross roads to get to school or meet their mates.

The lessons they learn in their early years will stick with them into adulthood, ensuring they are sensible when crossing roads.

This advice should include:

• Pointing out the safe places to cross the road, including zebra crossings, pedestrian crossings, bridges and subways, as well as highlighting any blind spots
• Talking about speed limits for vehicles and how these differ depending on what roads are being crossed
• Ensuring they (when older) see their friends and walk home from school away from the edge of busy roads

Being safe on the roads

When your child is at the age when they start to learn to drive, they should also be educated on the correct way to behave on the roads to keep them safe.

This includes:

• Always have a seatbelt on, which is fastened properly across the body
• Understanding the different traffic signs on the road and ensuring they understand the importance of following them
• Never sticking hands or head out of a moving vehicle
• The implications of drink driving
• The impact of speeding on other road users

E-scooters

With the increase of e-scooters being used on Greater Manchester’s roads, it’s more important than ever to know what the legal rules are regarding the use of these.

There isn’t a specific law for e-scooters, as they fall under the same laws and regulations as motor vehicles and therefore should have tax and licensing.

They can’t legally be used on roads as they don’t have visible rear red lights, number plates and have no signalling capability. E-scooters can only be used on private land and not public roads, cycle lanes or pavements.

If your teenager has an e-scooter, they need to be aware of these rules. The only circumstance that is different is when an e-scooter is rented as part of Government-backed trials.

Off-road bikes

The rules for off-road bikes are the same as those for e-scooters. Off-road bikes are only meant to be ridden on private land and there are substantive penalties for not doing so.

Being safe regardless of the vehicle you are driving or the roads that you are walking alongside, can often be the difference between life and death. If you are driving dangerously, or illegally, you have more chance of causing a serious accident.

Resources

There are a number of resources available for parents, guardians and carers who are keen to educate their child on road safety.

For younger children, click here Child Safety Week | Child Accident Prevention Trust (capt.org.uk) for the Child Accident Prevention Trust and for teenagers, visit THINK! – Road safety, which has loads of information on the road campaigns, Is It Worth Pushing if For, Mates for Life, Travel Like you Know Them and other great tips and advice.

If you are concerned about off-road bikes and e-scooters causing a public nuisance, then contact Greater Manchester Police on 101 or via the Live Chat function on the website www. gmp.police.uk. In an emergency, always dial 999.