PSHE – Road Safety (Mon 15.6.20)

Good morning Year 6!

 

When you go to Secondary school, most of you will probably be making the journey there on your own.

We all use roads to get about. Roads are shared by people on foot, on bikes, and in vehicles.

We all need to look after ourselves and other people on roads.

 

Dangerous behaviour:

Cycling without a helmet
Crossing the road while texting
Talking on a mobile while driving
Not belting up in the car
Crossing next to a parked car
Playing a ball game in the road
Parking on yellow lines outside a school

Safe behaviour:

Wearing bright, reflective material at night
Wearing a cycle helmet

Holding hands
Crossing at a pelican crossing
Using a booster seat and belting up

 

Sometimes people put themselves in danger by the things they do.

But sometimes we’re put in danger by the things around us.

A ‘hazard’ is something in your surroundings that could put you in danger.

 

Hazards:

Darkness – if you walk or cycle in the dark, or when it’s foggy or raining, it’s harder for drivers to spot you
Fast traffic – the faster vehicles go, the more dangerous for people on foot and bikes
Large vehicles like trucks and buses – these vehicles often do important jobs, like carrying food to shops or carrying people to work. But because the vehicles are big, the drivers have ‘blind spots’. This means sometimes they can’t see things near the vehicle – like kids standing behind them or right next to them. Keep well away from these vehicles, even if they’re not moving
Parked vehicles – it’s dangerous to cross between parked vehicles because it’s harder for drivers to spot you
Roads with no pavements – it’s dangerous to walk along roads like this, because there’s nothing to separate you from the traffic, and drivers might not expect there to be any pedestrians on the road
 

What’s there to help you stay safe:

Pelican crossings and zebra crossings – they’re there to help you get across the road safely, so always use them if you can
20mph zones – roads with slower speed limits are safer for people on foot and bicycles
Cycle lanes – help to keep traffic away from cyclists

Fast traffic is a big hazard for people on foot and bikes. But why is fast traffic dangerous?

When a driver spots something up ahead that means they need to stop, such as a child running into the road suddenly, their car won’t stop instantly. It takes time for the driver to spot the child, put their foot on the brake, and it takes time for the vehicle to come to a complete stop. That’s why you should never run into the road suddenly.

Stopping distances are the distances travelled by vehicles in between a driver spotting a hazard and coming to a complete stop.

The faster traffic goes, the longer it takes to come to a complete stop.

 

 

If a driver was driving at 20mph and they spotted something or someone up ahead, it would take them just 12 metres to stop. At 40mph, it would take three times this distance – 36 metres. That means that if you crossed a road without looking properly (or where you couldn’t see if anything was coming), and there was a car coming towards you at 40mph, they have to be more than 36 metres away to be able to stop in time!

This means that the slower traffic goes, the better chance drivers have of spotting you and being able to stop in time if they need to. Very fast traffic is extremely dangerous – which is why you should try to only walk and cycle on roads with 20mph and 30mph speed limits and avoid roads with faster.

 

The point is that if you don’t stay safe, you could get seriously injured or even killed. And when we talk about serious injuries, we don’t just mean breaking your arm and wearing a cast. Some people injured on roads have really bad injuries that can change your life forever. Some kids that get injured on roads are never able to walk or run about again. Think how that would feel. It is really important that you take this seriously.

 

160 8-11 year-olds are hurt or killed on roads every week in Britain.

Don’t think that as you get older you can stop being careful on roads. When you get to age 11 and move up to secondary school, you’re actually more likely to be hurt or killed on roads.

Why are 11-14 year-olds more likely to get hurt or killed on roads?

11-14 year-olds:

-Are more likely to walk and cycle ‘independently’ (without an adult) than younger children
-Think they know how to use roads, so don’t think about safety rules any more, like the Green Cross Code
-Sometimes push each other into doing dangerous things to try to look cool – like mucking about, playing ‘chicken’, pushing each other into roads, daring each other to take risks – this is called peer pressure

Firstly, if you cycle, make sure you always wear a helmet. You wouldn’t catch a professional cyclist not wearing one. It could save your life – half of all injuries suffered by cyclists are to the head and face. Make sure you’ve got a helmet that fits you properly and that meets British Safety Standards.

Secondly, if you have a bike, make sure you keep it in good shape. Make sure your tyres are pumped up and test your brakes before you set off (by pushing your bike forward while stood next to it and pressing the brakes). Also make sure you have front and back lights that work. It’s pretty dangerous cycling in the dark, so avoid it if you can, but it’s a good idea to have lights just in case you get caught out (if it gets dark earlier than you thought or the weather turns gloomy). It’s illegal to cycle in the dark without lights.

The other gear that’s important to have if you’re walking or cycling is high-visibility (or ‘high-vis’) gear, which helps drivers to see you from further away.

•Fluorescent high-vis gear shows up best in the daytime, at dusk, or in bad weather. Something that’s bright yellow or orange will also show up well.
•Reflective high-vis gear shows up best at night, by reflecting the light from vehicles’ headlights.

 

It’s easiest to forget about safe walking and the Green Cross Code when you’re walking on roads you know well. But you never know when a danger will appear on roads, so you need to always watch out…

So, remember… when crossing the road:

1. Find the safest place to cross – Are you crossing at the safest place?
2. Stand on the pavement near the kerb – Make sure you’re standing on the pavement near the kerb.
3. Look all around for traffic and listen – See if you can spot who is ready to cross the road.
4. If traffic is coming, let it pass – Can you cross the road safely?
5. When there’s no traffic, walk straight across the road 
Find the safest place to cross, the safest places, left to right, are: zebra crossing, traffic island, subway, school crossing patrol, footbridge, pedestrian crossing, straight stretch of road.

Stranger Danger

Never go off on your own with a stranger, take things from them or get in a car with them.
If someone scares you, or makes you feel uncomfortable go somewhere safe, which could be your home, your school or a police station. Remember to tell someone what has happened straight away.
Never accept gifts from a stranger
Never accept a lift in a car from a stranger
Never go anywhere with a stranger
Never go up to a car to give directions – keep away so that no one can get hold of you and you can run away
Always tell a trusted adult if you have been approached by a stranger

Remember the Yell, Run, Tell rule – it’s okay to run and scream if you find yourself in danger. Get away from the source of danger as fast as you can.
If you find yourself in danger always run towards shops or other busy places with lots of people.
If you think that you are being followed, go into a shop and ask for help
Never play in dark or lonely places
Stay with your group of friends – new wander off on your own.
Never agree to do a job for someone you don’t know in return for money- they may be trying to trick you
Always use the safest route to walk to school avoiding isolated places and dangerous roads to cross
Make sure your parents know where you are going and when you will be back. If your plans change be sure to tell your parents.

I hope these tips will help you to be safe when you go to Secondary school on your own!

Today’s task: Create a poster to represent road safety for children who walk to school on their own. This can be sent via the Homework Uploader. If you are unable to create a poster, please post your top tips in the comments below. 

I look forward to seeing your work!

Mrs Avdiu xx

printer friendly version: Monday PSHE blog Y6

Note: I will be on an online course this morning so I will not be able to respond to comments until the training has finished. Thank you in advance for your patience!

Eliza’s poster on Road Safety:

Ariella’s poster: