Keep your children safe as pedestrians in traffic is always a concern and night can bring additional risks. After so much time at home due to COVID-19 restrictions, it can be especially difficult for kids to realize how dangerous walking from school/after-school activities can be.

Driving in the dark may be unsettling for some individuals. Furthermore, many drivers have somewhere to go and typically want to get there as soon as possible. This frequently implies that they are not looking around for pedestrians, particularly children! Given the increased number of hit-and-runs at night, safety concerns nearly quadruple when the sun sets and visibility is considerably decreased.
 

Follow our simple road safety tips to help keep your kids safe at night.

 

Stay Visible

The last thing you want to do as a pedestrian at night is blend in. Wearing bright colors that reflect light, such as white or yellow, will make your kid stand out and make them considerably more apparent to vehicles. Consider what your kid is wearing. Some school uniforms are dark in color.

Your kids will be safer if they are visible, and you may easily add high-visibility reflective strips to their clothing, school bags, or bicycle helmets. Reflectors can make them visible in the headlights of an automobile for up to 150 meters!

 

Be Seen and Safe

Drivers expect pedestrians to be on sidewalks and in crosswalks, therefore they should remain there. This is especially critical at night. If there is no sidewalk, it is best to avoid certain routes completely. If this isn't possible, walk against traffic and as near to the road's side as possible. Walking against traffic helps you to spot incoming automobiles that you would not have seen otherwise.

 

Learn Road Safety Basics

Always look left, right, and then left again before crossing the street, especially if it is a small one. Saying this to your children every time you cross the street is an excellent method to introduce these safe habits in them while they are still young. For smaller children, holding hands while crossing the street is extremely vital. Explain to kids why they shouldn't run while crossing the street.

 

Teach your child the Safe Cross Code song to help them to cross the road safely.

The words help them learn to:

• look for a safe place to cross the road
• stop and wait
• look all around and listen before they cross the road
• let all the traffic pass them
• keep watching as they walk straight across the road

You should teach kids, in addition to the Safe Cross Code, that:

• they should cross the road at traffic signals or pedestrian crossings if feasible
• they should always hold your hand
• they should not cross the road between parked cars
• they should not play on the road (especially around parked cars)
• they should not run out to welcome or wave farewell while a car is moving
• they should never cross at a bend
• they should use a footpath if one exists

If there isn't a pathway, educate your kid on how to walk on the right-hand side of the road, facing oncoming traffic close to the side of the road. 

Always be Aware of your Surroundings

Teach your kids that being a safe pedestrian means always be aware of their surroundings. Always watch out for cars backing out of driveways, pulling into driveways, turning, and pulling over to the side of the road. Crossing between parked cars is never a good idea.

Encourage your teenagers to always be aware of their surroundings. They should not be allowed to wear headphones in their ears and should not be focusing on their phones. They will be more vulnerable to be hit by a car (or robbed) if they are preoccupied and distracted.

  

Pay Extra Attention to Driveway Safety on Dark Nights

According to RoSPA research (May 2017), at least 28 children have been killed on or near their home's driveways since 2008. A reversing car striking a kid was responsible for 25 of these deaths. The findings show that a lack of safety knowledge and visibility had a significant role in those deaths. Furthermore, in the majority of these situations, the vehicle's driver was an adult member of the child's household, a neighbor, or a home visitor. This happened in schools as well. The darker circumstances of Autumn and Winter make it even more critical to double-check that your kids are out of harm's way before driving away.

Teach your kids the importance of road safety in driveways. Teach them that they should not approach moving cars. Instruct them to keep an eye out for reverse cars. Show them the blind spots so they can understand the significance of safety even more.

 

Bike Safely on Dark Nights

Bike accidents rise in Autumn and Winter times due to the increasing darkness and children being harder to spot. Insist that your kids or teenagers riding bicycles at night keep close to an adult and learn to stop at intersections and driveways. Ensure that your kid or teenager and their bike are visible to other drivers and pedestrians. There are interesting light accessories to hang from the bike cool bands, lights, and reflectors that children love wearing and sticking on their clothes that you can buy.