Children at risk on roads

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 46, 7 May 1985, Page 1

Children at risk on roads

Despite recent visits to the school by a traffic officer, the acting principal of Ohakune Primary School and members of the school's Parent Teachers Association have expressed the fear that a child may be seriously hurt or even killed while cycling on the town's roads.

PTA member, Mrs Sue Murdie, said this week that the situation on the town's roads was becoming "frightening" with so many 5 to 8-year-olds riding bicycles in a dangerous manner. Mrs Murdie, herself a mother of two, said she has lived in Ohakune for eleven years and believes that the situation is now much worse than it was when she arrived in the town. " We can't blame the children," she concluded, "it is the parents' fault." Traffic officer, Val Gordon from Wanganui, recently speni three days giving each class at the school three lessons each on road safety. "The kids are really good in the classroom and answer all the questions on road safety correctly," says Mrs Maureen Hancock, acting principal at the school, "but as soon as they get out the school gates they go crazy." "We are really concerned about the problem as the behaviour of some of the youngsters on the road is appauling. There have been so many comments from people who have seen near misses between children on bikes and cars. "Parents should be taking a part in educating their children and should go through the road safety procedures with them. They should also get out and see how their kids are actually riding — I wonder if many

of them have actuallyseen their children ride. "The children wobble around on their bikes while riding. and wobble even more when they take one hand off to indicate that they are turning. They also think that just because they have their hand out indicating that they are turning, they can turn — they don't worry about what's behind them or what's coming on the other side of the road. "We have done our utmost to educate the children through the traffic department and 1 think it is now up to the parents. "1 think one of the main problems is that more and more children are being given bikes at a younger age — some four-year-olds are even riding in the streets. I am especially concerned with the ski season coming up," she concluded. Nearly 1,00.0 children are admitted to hospital every year in New Zealand with injuries caused in cycling accidents. The Health Department's principal medical officer for health promotion, Dr. Murray Laugesen, says primary school children are not safe on main roads. "Parents are wise to delay buying a first bike until the child goes to intermediate school and should tell children to cycle only on quiet back streets until they go to secondary school," says Dr. Laugesen.