Road Safety in Key Stage Two

Road Safety Poster produced by KS2 pupils

The Key themes for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 are:

The Green Cross Code / Arrive Alive

You probably already know the basics of the Green Cross Code - STOP, LOOK and LISTEN - but now it is time to find out a bit more.

Always use the Green Cross Code to help you cross roads, even if you are with an adult.

Green Cross Code - Free stickers avaliable

Arrive Alive - Free cpoies of the Highway Code for Young Road UsersIf you want to know more about the hedgehogs adverts, play games or take a look at Arrive Alive (the highway code for young road users) visit the hedgehogs website. 

If you would like the related activity books and stickers, and a free copy of the children's highway code, ask your teacher to order them from us.

The highway code for young road users tells you what all road users (drivers, horse riders, cyclists and pedestrians) should be doing. 

Pelican Crossing, Stourbridge

Safer Places to Cross

Finding a safer place to cross will make life a lot easier, although you still need to STOP, LOOK and LISTEN! Safer places include:  

Zebra Crossings, 
Pelican Crossings, 
Puffin Crossings, 
School Crossing Patrols, 
Footbridges, 
Subways and 
Refuges. 

See if you can find out how you should use each of these places.

Less safe places to cross

If there are no safer places to cross, try to find a straight, clear section of road. Click here to view some places you should try not to cross near.

Be especially careful if there is a bus lane, or it is a one way street.

Speed

•Cars can’t stop dead – they are big and heavy, and if someone steps in front of them the driver may have no chance of stopping in time. Stopping distance depends on the speed of the car. That is why we have speed limits - the more likely it is for a driver to have to stop, the lower the speed limit. A road with houses on it is normally 30mph but a motorway is 70mph because there will be no one trying to cross it.
 

Stopping distances are spilt into two sections - the time it takes the driver to get their foot on the brake (thinking distance) and the time it takes for the car to stop once braking has started (braking distance)

•What can increase stopping distances?

The car (worn brakes, extra weight, bald tyres etc)

•The road (poor surface, spilt oil etc)
•The weather (wet, icy, sun in eyes etc)
•The driver (distractions in the car, distractions outside the car, alcohol, medication etc)

Seatbelts

When you are travelling in  a car you must always wear a seatbelt. If you are small  (under 1.5m / 5ft) you may need a special seat or cushion to make the seatbelt fit. 

Everyone in the car should wear their own seatbelt. 

In a crash at 30mph, if you are not wearing a seatbelt, you will hit the front seat and anyone in it, with a force of between 30 and 60 times your own body weight. Such an impact could result in death or serious injury to both yourself and the person in the front seat. If you are in the front seat without a seatbelt you could be thrown through the windscreen.

Always get out of the car on the pavement side, so you don't end up standing in the road.

Are you in Year 6?

Making Choices - Free Magazine!Then you might like to ask your teacher to order you copies of "Making Choices", a FREE magazine to help you stay safe when travelling independently.