New school entrants need help on roads this week

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 272, 31 January 1989, Page 16

New school entrants need help on roads this week

The school year has begun and youngsters all over New Zealand are excited about going to school for the first time. Parents and guardians will need to help them prepare for the journey to school and home again.

The best way to do this is to work out the safest route for the child to tak$. Remember that the safest route for the child to take may not be the quickest. Walk over the route before school starts noting any hazards that might confuse the

child. These could be things like roadworks, rubbish bins, road slips or some sort of visual obstruction. When the safest route has been worked out then both the child and adult can walk the route together slowly and talk about things seen and heard. Get down to the child's

level to appreciate the "childs-eye" view of surroundings. Children will need an adult to accompany them to school and home again for the first few days when school begins, just to make sure they can cope in traffic situations at that time of day. Taking the child over the route and working out any problems together will help the child become confident enough to make the trip alone.

Adults should remember that children have physical and intellectual limitations which affect the rate at which they can learn road safety skills and knowledge: • Children's eye levels are lower than adults so they see less and from a different position. • Children under six years old are usually far sighted and have difficulty with side vision perception. • Children under six years old do not recog-

nise objects as quickly or as well as adults, so they have difficulty identifying important items. • Children cannot accurately judge distances of objects or their speed. • Children are very active and run a great deal. This way they are likely to fall. • Young children cannot accurately locate the source of sounds and sometimes do not hear the full range of sounds. • Children do not understand speed, space, time and direction of travel, nor can they judge density of traffic. • Language and concepts which are easily understood by adults cannot always be grasped by children. For instance "left" and "right" can be meaningless words to young children. Adults should recognise these limitations and take them into ac-

count as much as possible. When walking with children adults should occasionally kneel down beside them so they can see the route from the child's point of view. It may be quite different to what the adults sees. Parents and guardians should teach children the basic skills necessary to: • Cross the road • Cross between parked cars or where the line of sight is obstructed • Walk along country roads or roads without footpaths • Use school patrols, traffic wardens or bus wardens The adult and child should practice these skills a number of times until the child is sure of the procedure. Talk with the children and explain the reasons for doing these things. Listen to their questions and com-

ments, and remember to ask them what they can see and hear. This will help the adult discover how much the child understands and what should be taught again. This is the only way to discover their limitations. Adults should help set a good example and encourage children to develop skills necessary to use roads and footpaths safely. For the first few days an adult should walk the children to and from school to make sure they are coping. Check the route from time to time. Major changes can happen to traffic patterns and to the route itself. If parents are dropping children off or collccting them from school or kindergarten, they should park their car correctly on the same side of the street as the school entrance so children will not have to cross the road.