Street Smart

Out of harm’s way

For safe play, children should always be supervised by an adult. Make sure children are in a safe place to play, such as a backyard, fenced park or recreational area. Children can dart into traffic quickly when distracted by games they are playing. Roads, carparks, footpaths and driveways are never safe places to play. Our Driveway safety campaign has more information on how to keep children safe.  Make some family rules about safe play, talk about them with your children and then stick to them – every time they are using bikes, trikes or scooters. It is important to reinforce these road safety messages:

• Always play in the backyard
• Don’t play in the driveway
• Never follow your ball onto the road

Callan Ward says wear a helmet

Watch Greater Western Sydney Giants co-captain Callan Ward in our new helmet safety video. You can find out how to choose the right kind of helmet and fit it correctly to protect your head and stay safe.

Young children who wear helmets from the moment they start riding their first wheeled toy will be safer from head injuries. They will also be more likely to continue to wear helmets throughout their lives. A young child’s skull is soft and easily injured. To protect children when riding wheeled toys or bicycles, it is important that they wear a correctly fitted and Australian Standards Approved helmet. This is an adult’s responsibility.

• Take your child shopping for a helmet and select one that fits properly
• It should sit two child finger widths above the child’s eyebrows, and be neither too tight nor too loose.
• It should not be too heavy for the child’s head and neck to support

Important road safety messages

“No helmet, no bike.” “When everyone has their helmet and shoes on, we can ride our bikes.” “If anyone isn’t wearing their helmet or shoes properly, we’ll put the bikes away.”

Help children understand

• Helmets and enclosed shoes keep us safe
• We must ride and play away from traffic – in the backyard or at the bike track
• Footpaths and driveways are never safe places to play
• Young children can never ride their bikes, scooters or skates without adult supervision

Motorised toys also need to be supervised closely by an adult. They are harder to control and can quickly put children in danger.

Source