Walking to school and back home again is a great way to spend time with your children and encourage safe and healthy behaviours.

Here are a few things you can do to help keep your children safer as a pedestrian:

• Talk with your children about being alert in the road environment.
• Plan and practice your trip to school so you use pedestrian crossings where possible.
• Always hold your child’s hand. Children need your help to spot dangers such as vehicles coming out of driveways. They can also be easily distracted and wander into traffic.
• Meet your child near the school gate and don’t call them from across the road.
• Explain why the place you have chosen is the safest place to cross.
• Remind your child to STOP! LOOK! LISTEN! THINK! every time they cross the road and keep checking until safely across.
• Talk to them about why they should stop, look, listen, think before crossing a driveway, road or carpark.

Young children can learn and practice these safe pedestrian behaviours with you. This will help them to be safer pedestrians when they are old enough to travel alone.