Safety signs your kids should know

As parents, making sure we do everything possible to keep our kids safe can be a tough job. Unfortunately, that means realizing we can’t be with them every minute of every day to watch over them. This is why imparting safety knowledge on them is a crucial step to ensuring they have the knowledge of how to stay safe when you are not around.

The dangers of the roadside are enough to give any parent worries. Luckily, most roads have safety signs installed that give quick and easy to understand the information about the dangers of that particular road. There are two signs in particular that you should make sure your kids know and several rules. An easy way to do this is to sit them down and go onto a website like mysafetysign.com and show them the different signs and what they mean.

Here are some of the important ones.

STOP Sign

This is the most important sign that kids should recognize. The STOP sign is usually installed around residential areas and playgrounds in particular. The main job for a STOP sign is to tell drivers they need to stop at a certain place. This means that this particular location is a place where cars and pedestrians will have to deal with each other often. Make sure your children know that when they see this sign that they need to take due care. If a driver does not see or notice this sign, they may not stop. Telling your children to also follow the sign and stop what they are doing is crucial. 

Crossing Sign

Another important one. A crossing sign shows children the safest place to cross a road. This sign informs drivers that they are coming up to a place where children cross the road frequently. Make sure, however, that your kids know the importance of their own awareness and know not to cross the road blindly. If your kids know this and look for crossing signs, their chances of staying safe while crossing the road rise dramatically.

General Traffic Rules

As well as showing your kids the STOP and Crossing signs, make sure they follow the following rules from a young age. 

• Before any road crossing, they need to “stop, look and listen”, make sure they know what each one entails, and do a mental check-list in their head every time they are about to cross a road.
• If possible, make eye contact with any drivers that have stopped to allow them to cross, this lowers the chance of misunderstanding that could lead to an accident.
• Never cross the road on a bend.
• Always walk on sidewalks whenever possible, never walk in the road unless absolutely necessary.
• When walking in low light conditions, make sure they know the importance of being visible. Don’t let them wear all black at night.

Hopefully, by following the rules and teaching them about the important signs they might encounter, you will give your children the best chance at staying safe. And remember, kids are impressionable, so make sure you preach what you teach whenever you are out with your children on the roads.