Road safety highlighted for school start

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 521, 1 February 1994, Page 5

Road safety highlighted for school start

The police have released the following points on road safety for children, to coincide with the start of school. □ In the last five years an average of 1 1 children have been killed and 388 injured on New Zealand roads each year during the month of February. □ Last year four children were killed and 152 injured in the 'back to school' month of February. □ There are 2292 school bus routes in New Zealand carrying some 94,000 children. □ Children are unpredictable, particularly when tired after school and can be easily distracted by the sight of someone arriving to pick them up. □ Research has proven that eight is the minimum age for a child to cross a road unsupervised. □ Children of seven to nine need supervision when riding on public roads. Those any younger do not have the ability to judge traffic behaviour. □ Some children may not be used to the routine of travelling to and from school. For many, it' s a new and dangerous experience. □ Parents should try to pick up children on the same side of the street as the school or the bus stop. □ Drivers should reduce speed where children are likely to be found, especially around schools, buses and pedestrian crossings. The law requires drivers to travel at 20 km/h past a stationary school bus. This is particularly important between the hours of 7.459am and 2.45-3.45pm. □ The shortest route is not always the safest, so check the route yourself

occasionally, as the unexpected may occur such as roadworks and traffic diversions.

□ Parents should refrain from parking illegally outside schools - yellow noTurn To Page 6

Road safety

From Page 5 stopping line, doubleparking, parking on bus stops, etc, as this restricts the visibility of children and other drivers. □ Travel the route to school the day before school starts and ask the child to point out not only the hazards, but the positi vethings as well. □ Ask them what they see and hear, to determine their level of understanding of road safety. □ If children learn to queue properly when waiting for a bus, there is less risk of being aecidentally pushed into the path of vehicles. □ Wait until the bus has moved away before crossing the road to allow full visibility in all directions.