National Walk Safely to School Day-Friday May 18

• Friday 18 May is National Walk Safely to School Day. Now in its 19^th year, it is a campaign and annual event when all primary school children, their parents and carers are encouraged to walk and commute regularly and safely to school. It is a community event seeking to promote Road Safety, Health, Public Transport and the Environment.

  The objectives of WSTSD are:

• To encourage parents and carers to walk to school with primary school age children and reinforce safe pedestrian behaviour.
• To promote the health benefits of walking and help create regular walking habits at an early age.
• To ensure that children up to 10 years old hold an adult's hand when crossing the road.
• To help children develop the vital road-crossing skills they will need as they become mature pedestrians.
• To reduce the car dependency habits that are being created at an early age and which will be difficult to change as children become adults.
• To promote the use of Public Transport.
• To reduce the level of air pollution created by motor vehicles.
• To reduce the level of traffic congestion.

PARENTS AND CARERS

• Children up to eight years old should hold an adult's hand on the footpath, in the car park, or when crossing the road; an adult is defined as a parent, caregiver, grandparent, sibling in high school or older, other relative or neighbour, or other adult as advised by the child's parents/carers
• Children up to ten years old should be actively supervised in the traffic environment and should hold an adult's hand when crossing the road

More information for parents and carers can be found here: https://www.safetytown.com.au/parents/

  This cartoon provides graphic facts about Children and Safety in the Traffic Environment.