New Resource to Support Child Pedestrian Training
Road Safety Wales partners have collaborated to produce a child pedestrian training video to share with school contacts and for inclusion on local authority websites and social media channels, for parents to use during the school holidays and beyond.
The resource has been created during lockdown at no real cost to the Road Safety Wales partnership, thanks to the input of Road Safety Officers and their much appreciated family volunteers. Special thanks go to Angharad Barrett of Blaenau Gwent CBC and Charlie Gordon of Swansea Council for their help in making this lockdown project possible.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many children in Wales benefitted from pedestrian training or Kerbcraft at school, thanks to road safety grant funding from the Welsh Government. Social distancing requirements made practical training of this nature at school impossible; this package has been developed to assist in equipping children with pedestrian skills for life.
A child pedestrian training section has been created within the Road Safety Wales website where the new video and accompanying notes can be found; a high definition version is available by contacting: communication@roadsafetywales.org.uk
The resource, which will also be made available in Welsh, covers three core skills:
- Choosing the Safe Place to Cross
- Crossing the Road
- Crossing Between Parked Cars
Active travel brings a wide range of physical, environmental and well-being benefits and walking provides an opportunity for children to socially interact with family and friends, as well as being a valuable road safety experience.
Learning pedestrian skills is a keystone of childhood road safety and regular practise at different locations will help to reinforce methods that can be used in any roadside scenario for years to come.
Further advice on road safety for children is available from all Road Safety Wales partners.