Share your tips on teaching kids about road safety with Churchill Insurance. Win a £300 Love2Shop voucher! NOW CLOSED

[PoppyMumsnet]

Roads can be an intimidating place for children and a worrying place for parents, especially on the school run. Churchill Insurance wants to introduce extra lollipop men and women across Great Britain to help keep our children safe. Churchill would like to know how you teach your children about road safety. Which rules do you pass on about roads and cars? Do you have any fun and creative techniques to make them stick? How old were your children when you started teaching them – and how long did it take for things to sink in?

Lucy Brooksbank, Head of Marketing at Churchill, added: "Lollipoppers are the stalwarts of our communities, national treasures who bring fun and joy to everyone’s school run, as well as importantly keeping children safe. Churchill looks out for customer's best interests, so what better way to demonstrate that than by supporting our Lollipoppers and taking action to keep them on our streets? With child pedestrian casualties during the school run still an issue in the UK, we want to put 50 Lollipoppers on school crossings. We want people from across the UK, whether they are a parent or just concerned about a local crossing to nominate their schools and help to keep children safe during the school run.”

Please share your ideas about teaching road safety with Churchill Insurance below.
Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Make sure your school has a chance of receiving Lollipopper funding by nominating at www.churchill.com/lollipoppers

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Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Always use a crossing, or a clear stretch of road, and DON'T use your mobile when crossing the road, as children copy your behaviour. I also talked to my son about the consequence of not crossing carefully, but obviously without being gruesome or graphic.

This one might seem a bit extreme but it happened to me when I was little and I've always remembered.

I was crossing the road and my mum pointed out a frog who had been squashed while crossing the road. She explained the frog hadn't looked before he crossed.
I grew up saying 'look both ways or you'll get squashed like a frog'.

Teaching by example is the best way in my opinion. Talking about why you're crossing where you are crossing and how to do it safely and hope it sinks in! 8yo is fairly good but 6yo is too easily distracted. I also teach them never to start crossing until they are 100% sure that a car is stopping or even stopped.

Show kids the edge of the pavement, how far from it they have to stand, tell them to walk on the inside the pavement and adults are always walk near to the road, always use crossings.

Always lead by example - and don't take shortcuts - walk to the crossing and always wait for the green man. If you're driving and see a dangerous situation, then point it out to them so they can see for themselves and learn from it.

Speak to them before going out about why it is important to hold hands and then when you are out talk them through, look both ways, cross safely now etc

Visit the local fire station, they are more than happy to spend time talking about road safety and the kids love it!

Sticking to a routine of holding hands, looking each way together and setting a good example.

Lots and lots of practice. Always make a point of discussing the correct way to cross the road every time. Never use bad crossing habits in front of them. Always wait for the light to turn green even when there's nothing coming.

My eldest is only 3 and we started making him aware of road safety a few months ago. He doesnt really grasp danger yet but I am hoping that if we drill it into him from a young age then it will become second nature. He loves pushing the button and waiting for the green man, so thats a start!

lead by example, always be extra careful when they are around because they copy everything.

I always feel it's great to let your child help you decide where and when it's safe to cross, and then add advice when needed.

Teach them not to use mobile phones and technology like mp3 players near a road. Accidents often come from lack of attention, and distractions.

When at crossings, don't cross the road unless the green man is showing, even when children are too small they may notice the man is red!

I have found the easiest way is to always follow the green cross code yourself.Always wait for the green man and at a crossing don't assume the cars are going to stop, I teach my children to always think the car is going to keep coming so to wait until it has stopped before stepping of the pavement.

I started teaching my children from a very young age, more or less from when they were toddlers. Walks to the park always included drumming in the Stop, Look and Listen message. My youngest is now 9 and has just started walking home from school alone. I have told her to stop and look both ways and listen for cars when crossing the road. All my children know to use pedestrian crossings or lollipop crossings wherever possible. One thing that I have also drummed into my children is that they shouldn't be sheep - just because other people are crossing, doesn't mean they should follow them blindly.

Having DT's and an older one with ASD necessitated getting this right... from tiny all three learned what they call 'The Stop Go' game... we played this anywhere... the park... the garden... but the basic premise is 'stop when I say so' but it can be interspersed with things like turn around, jump up and down, touch your toes... sounds crazy but it worked a dream and means that now I can literally say "stop" and all three stand stock still. Great for reigning in control near roads.

We also have spent many a dedicated half hour literally teaching our ASD child the importance of road safety and how to ensure he is safe, how to cross when different variables come in... it still worries me though to be honest...

Just be really clear and consistent with your children as to what is safe and what is dangerous. Lead by example!

We have talked about road safety since the children were in buggys. Once they went onto reins we talked on every outing and coming off reins was dependant on good hand holding and good stopping at the kerb. We borrowed a fab video from the library on road safety that the kids all loved. Having said that we still chat when we are out and about as I think it's easy for the kids to become complacent especially when they are out and about without us

My son was taught road safety during his first few years at primary school, they took them out in groups and explained the whole look & listen way of being aware of what was on the roads. When it comes to when I am out with him, I always use a crossing and I always wait for the green man, hate it when people dash out when I am waiting with him though, I always (even if I am not with my son) wait until the lights change if there is a child with their parent waiting to cross... although in fairness I should wait every time!

example is the best - and NEVER crossing when the man is red even if there is no traffic - they will copy you!

Use the green cross code! Stop look and listen. Teach them about traffic lights and road signs too.

Stop, look & listen!

Also wait for the green man

Repetitiveness. Even when they were in the pushchair I'd talk through the process of crossing the roads!

i have an Autistic 12 year old who can recite the highway code but would walk straight across the road infront of a truck without batting an eyelid so may not be the best qualified to answer this.

My younger two walk a mile to school. We cross numerous allys and minor roads, walk across three pelican crossings and alongside a six lane section of roundabout with river the other side of the footpath, footpath shared with commuters on bikes.

I let the children practice on the quieter stretches by doing the whole stop at the curb, look, listen, 'is it safe? Do we all agree? Then lets cross'. If they're having a good attentive day I let them make the decissions on the back alleys and very minor turns. When we're on the big roads and using the crossings they know to walk at my side, its non negotiable.

We talk about safe places to cross and how you find them. As we're in town there are lots of access routes with dipped curbs, pavement bumps for the blind and pedestrian crossings and we take turns to hold the twiddly thing that spins on the bottom of the button unit and announce when its safe to cross.

The biggest thing has to be exposure, exposure, exposure. If your DC only ever travel in the car to school and social clubs (not a criticism we're in a world where for many thats a necessity) then you need to creatively build that exposure into holidays, weekend walks, parking a street or two away from venues to give them that chance to learn.