WOMAN 2 WOMAN: Teach your children about road safety

“Auntie, a child at school today was knocked dead by a car!” My niece recently said as she broke the sad news to me. Gloria, who is 8 years old, is a primary three pupil at Kigali Parents School. At her tender age, she could not give a detailed account of how her school mate had lost her life. When I tried to inquire she replied, “I don’t know! The teacher just told us that one of us has been knocked dead as she came to school.” Apparently, this child was knocked a few kilometres away from her home, by a speeding vehicle. Can you imagine such a horror? Maybe this child’s life could have been saved if it had been escorted to school by an older and responsible person. Most road traffic accidents happen during school going days especially in the morning as most children are rushing to get to school. Others happen in the evenings when children are more likely to be playing on their way home. Boys have nearly twice as many accidents as girls because they tend to play more outdoor games, such as football. But as a parent, it is your duty to ensure that the children are safe at all times, whether at school or home. Here are some tips to keep your children safe on the road: With very young ones: - Always hold your child’s hand while they are young, and do not let them run on ahead.- Always use a pedestrian crossing or zebra crossing if there is one.- Set a good example, for example at pedestrian crossings wait for the green man rather than crossing on red. Teach your children basic traffic rules, and caution them to always be careful on the road. - Let your child help you decide where and when it is safe to cross.- Look out for hidden entrances or driveways across the pavement- Explain why they should never cross the road between parked cars.- Make sure your child can be seen and put reflective strips on their clothing in winter or foggy mornings. With older children, you can: - Explain road safety rules and make sure your child knows to ‘stop, look and listen’- Ask your child, when you are out and about, whether she thinks it is safe to cross the road. You can also help your child plan the safest route to a friend’s house or the local shops. With teenagers, you can: Keep talking to your teen about road safety issues and remind them about distractions such as listening to music while crossing or automatically following other teenagers across the road without checking whether it’s safe to. - Encourage them to practise judging the speed and distance of vehicles.- Discuss the issues, to raise their awareness. One of the biggest road safety issues for teenagers is getting into cars with young drivers. Many drivers aged 20 and 25 show off by driving too fast, while others maybe under the influence of alcohol. Motorcycle safety - Ask your child never to allow to travel on an over speeding motorcycle.- Encourage them to always wear a helmet and hold firm onto the person riding the motorcycle. - While on the road, advise them to keep a distance from the road to avoid being knocked by motorcyclists.- For children who have their own bikes, ensure your child’s bike is the right size and well maintained, with good brakes, lights and reflective strips.Ensure they always wear a helmet and that it fits properly when they are riding. ubernie@gmail.com