Road Safety - Be Seen, Be Heard, Be Aware

Take care on the roads!

by Hannah Knight

Suitable for Key Stage 4/5

Aims

To educate students on the importance of road safety.

Preparation and materials

• Gather some images of words and pictures associated with road safety and have the means to show them during the assembly. See, too, the website given below for games and information and have available one of the road safety videos listed below the website to show in the ‘Assembly’, Step 6:
  
  games and information: http://think.direct.gov.uk/education/early-years-and-primary
  road safety video 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hplRpOdOXE
  road safety video 2: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIHsS160aDo
  road safety video 3: www.youtube.com/watch?v=67XsZ8lwORk

• If you wish, you could organize for the students to read much of the content of the assembly.

Assembly

1. Who can put their hand up and tell me what dangers there are on the road?
   
   
2. In Britain, 1,500 children every year are involved in car accidents and, 9 times out of 10, it is because they do not have good road safety awareness.
   
   A road can be a dangerous place for anybody, regardless of age. Children and young people may not be knowledgeable about road safety, older people may struggle to cross the road in time and adults may lack concentration after a hard day at work.
   
   Road safety involves teamwork – we all need to work together to keep our roads safe!
   
   
3. So, why do these accidents happen?
   
   
4. There are many distractions in today’s society, such as talking to our friends, listening to music and looking at our phones. It’s our job to ignore these distractions and put our safety first.
   
   Just think, one glance at your phone while you are crossing a road could cost you your life. It is also important to make sure that we do not distract people who are driving us. If you and your brothers or sisters or friends are fighting or messing about in the back seat, it may be difficult for the driver to concentrate on the road.
   
   
5. Many years ago, drivers and passengers did not need to wear seatbelts because people did not appreciate how important they are.
   
   In 1983, it became the law to wear one and, by enforcing this law, many lives have been saved. The seatbelt is not optional and should not be ignored. Did you know that if you are caught not wearing your seatbelt, you could be fined up to £500? That would be quite a shock for your mums and dads!
   
   
6. The Green Cross Code was created to help reduce unnecessary accidents. Remember, too, if you have little brothers and sisters, you will be setting an example, so don’t take the steps for granted. Here’s a reminder of what they are and why they are.
   
   Find a safe place to cross
   
   Many people cross in unsafe places. This immediately puts them at risk. For instance, crossing between two parked cars or crossing on a corner will minimize the view that you and the driver have, thereby potentially resulting in a casualty. Look out for crossing points such as zebra crossings, pelican crossings and puffin crossings. 

   
   Stop before the kerb

   The mistake some people make is stepping into the road too early. There are some wide vehicles on the road and some drivers may not be paying enough attention to the side of the road, so try to keep out of the traffic.
   
   Look and listen for traffic

   When crossing the road, it is useful to both look and listen before you cross. For example, you may hear traffic approaching a bend, but not see it. This will give you better judgement and more time to prepare. If you are in doubt, do not cross.

   Listening to music or looking at or talking on your phone will stop you from concentrating and so they are very dangerous when crossing.

   If traffic is approaching, let it pass

   If you see cars approaching, regardless of whether you are in a rush or not, do not try to quickly cross the road. This is a huge risk to take. Instead, be patient and cross when it is safe to do so.
   
   When it’s safe, cross the road, keep looking around you and do not

   When crossing the road, surroundings can change very quickly, which is why it is important to keep looking around you. For example, a motorbike may overtake a slow-moving vehicle without realizing that it is moving slowly because a pedestrian is crossing. Running will reduce your thinking time. If you are walking and your surroundings change, you will be able to adapt to the situation in good time and much more easily than if you were running.

   Play road safety video 1, 2 or 3.
   

7. Put your hand up if you can see clearly in the dark?
   
   Unfortunately, eating lots of carrots will not help us to see in the dark! 
   
   When you are driving and it’s dark, it is very difficult to see where you’re going. It is also difficult as a pedestrian. 
   
   We put lights on at home to see in the dark, so why should it be any different when we are on the road? There are ways in which we can make sure we will be seen. 
   
   One way to stand out is by wearing a reflective high-visibility jacket. Flashing lights are also a great indicator of your presence on the road. Flashing red lights will resemble the back of a car braking or indicating that there is a problem, which will cause cars to slow down.

Time for reflection

Let us all close our eyes.

Think about the roads that you cross every day – do you always pay attention?

Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you for protecting us, watching over us and guiding us. 
Please continue to guide us and love us so that we may follow in your footsteps. 
Amen.