1. NEW JOURNEY New School New Choices
This discussion is all about getting to secondary school safely. We are going to talk about what is dangerous and what is safe behaviour, hazards on roads that you can look out for, how you can stay safe on your journey to your new school and how the way we travel can have an impact on the environment.

2. Keeping Safe on the Road…

3. Ways of getting to school How many children get to school that way?
Hands up - How did you get to school today?
Ways of getting to school
How many children get to school that way?
Good points
Bad points
Ask how everyone gets to school each day. Record the numbers in the table
Then ask the class to call out good and bad points for each method of getting to school. These will be different depending on your school and pupils, but some suggested good and bad points are given below.
Walking – good points:
Walking – bad points:
Healthy
Environmentally-friendly
Sociable – allows you to chat with friends and/or family members
Can be dangerous if there are roads with no pavements or crossings, or roads with fast traffic
Can be cold or wet in winter!
Cycling – good points
Cycling – bad points:
Can be dangerous if there are no cycle paths, or if there are roads with fast traffic
Driven in car – good points:
Driven in car – bad points
Warm and dry
If parents drive too fast or park on yellow lines it can put pupils who are on foot or bicycles at risk
May be only option for pupils who live further away from school if there’s no bus
Bad for the environment
Adds to congestion and parking problem around school
Bus – good points:
Bus – bad points:
Better for the environment than driving as there are lots of pupils all in one vehicle
Unhealthy
Sociable – can talk with friends
May mean waiting at the bus stop in cold and wet weather

4. Hands up - How will you get to your new school?
Ways of getting to school
How many children will travel this way?
Ways of getting to school
How many children will travel this way?
Ask how everyone how they are going to travel to their secondary school – record these in the table.
Are there more children travelling by different means?
How do they feel about this?

5. True or False ?

6. It is healthier to walk and cycle to places?
True It is much better to get some exercise than being taken everywhere by car
Children who cycle or walk to school are more alert and concentrate more in class than those who travel by car
Walking to school everyday will burn more calories per minute than a 2 hour PE lesson.
Discuss the benefits of exercise and how by walking or cycling you are also learning how to behave safely around traffic which you don’t get when being driven in a car

7. Little children are more likely to be injured in a road accident than me?
X False People your age are more likely to be injured!
Probably because you are more independent, tend to make longer journeys and are likely to cross busier roads.

8. Pedestrian Road Casualties
Number per 100K population
As you can see, the Year 6 are in the second highest group for pedestrian road casualties, but will soon be entering the highest risk group.
year olds are the highest risk group, being 25% more likely to be injured in their first three years at secondary school than in the last years of primary. This point is carried over to the next slide.
Some of the cause may be a change in travel arrangements but most is a lessened perception of the hazards faced on the road.
Sound clip is of a radio advertisement by the Department for Transport about the dangers of wearing/listening to mp3 players when crossing roads

9. The most dangerous age for children is between 12 and 15
We have seen from the graph that the most dangerous age between 12 and 15 and the sound clip highlights one of reasons they may be more at risk – can they think of any more?
More independent
Longer journeys
Crossing busier roads
Likely to be distracted talking to their friends/on their mobile phones etc
You may like to show the movie clip – an advertisement by Department for Transport showing teenagers filmed on a mobile phone, being distracted and involved in a road accident.

10. Quick Fire Round 1 Safe or Not Safe?
Class to call out whether the following are Safe or Not Safe

11. Unsafe behaviour:
Cycling without a helmet
Crossing the road while texting
Talking on a mobile while driving
Not belting up in the car
Crossing next to a parked car
Playing a ball game in the road
Parking on yellow lines outside a school
Safe behaviour:
Wearing bright, reflective material at night
Wearing a cycle helmet
Holding hands
Crossing at a pelican crossing
Using a booster seat and belting up

12. See notes for previous slide

13. Things to think about… How long will my journey take?
Will I make the journey on my own?
How can I keep safe?
We have looked at the positives to our health and environment to walking and cycling and we have also seen that it can be dangerous. What can we do to make our journey safer?

14. True or False?
People my age get killed crossing between parked cars
TRUE – crossing between parked cars takes skill and observation
Do they know how to cross between parked cars safely?
More accidents happen to children because they run from between parked vehicles and can’t be seen by oncoming traffic.

15. How to cross between parked cars…
What have these children done to make them safer?
Using the edge of the cars as the pavement
Creep forward and peep round the cars so that they can see what is coming
Cars can also see them
If they were on the pavement the cars would not be able to see them and wouldn’t know that they needed to slow down
– this web site has a number of video stories and worksheets very applicable to this age group. These can be downloaded prior to the lesson. You can include these within this lesson but will take more time. Alternatively they could be looked at during an additional lesson on road safety.

16. Where is a safe place to cross
What safe places can you think of?
How many can they think of?
The following slides show examples of Pelican and Zebra crossings and a central reservation
Ask the class for input on these – get them to explain how to use the crossings correctly

17. Pelican Crossings How do they work? At the crossing , stop at the kerb
Press the button and wait for the 'green man' signal to light up. Never cross while the red man is showing.
When the Green Man shows
Check that vehicles are stopping, then walk across, keep looking all around and listening in case a driver has not seen the crossing and does not stop.
When the Green Man starts to flash on and off
The traffic will soon start moving, stay on the pavement. If you have already started to cross, you will have time to finish crossing.
If it is a staggered crossing
There will be another signal on the traffic island. Stop and press the signal button to get the 'Green Man' again before crossing the second part of the road.

18. Zebra Crossing What should you always remember? Zebra crossing
At the crossing, stop at the kerb
Wait for the traffic to stop
When the traffic has stopped
Walk across but keep looking and listening all around in case a driver has not seen the crossing and tries to overtake a car, which has stopped. Always cross on the stripes, as many accidents happen close to zebra crossings.
If there is an island
If the crossing has an island in the middle of it, stop there and wait for the traffic on the other side of the island to stop before you continue to cross.
They must make sure that all traffic has stopped. If there are two lanes of traffic remember how to cross between parked cars ‘creep and peep’. Check that all traffic has stopped before crossing.

19. Central reservation What should you always remember?
Central reservation or Traffic islands
Remember to use treat the island as if it were another pavement and don’t just cross.
Stop, look listen etc
Can they think of any other safe places to cross:
Subways or underpasses.
Bridges over busy dual carriageways

20. Hazard Spot or Keeps you Safe?
Quick Fire Round 2
Hazard Spot or Keeps you Safe?
Class to call out – Hazard or Keeps you Safe

21. Hazards:
Darkness – if you walk or cycle in the dark, or when it’s foggy or raining, it’s harder for drivers to spot you
Fast traffic – the faster vehicles go, the more dangerous for people on foot and bikes
Large vehicles like trucks and buses – because the vehicles are big, the drivers have ‘blind spots’. This means sometimes they can’t see things near the vehicle – like children standing behind them or right next to them. Keep well away from these vehicles, even if they’re not moving
Parked vehicles – it’s dangerous to cross between parked vehicles because it’s harder for drivers to spot you
Roads with no pavements – it’s dangerous to walk along roads like this, because there’s nothing to separate you from the traffic, and drivers might not expect there to be any pedestrians on the road
What’s there to help you stay safe:
Pelican crossings and zebra crossings – they’re there to help you get across the road safely, so always use them if you can
20mph zones – roads with slower speed limits are safer for people on foot and bicycles
Cycle lanes – help to keep traffic away from cyclists

22. See previous notes for previous slide.

23. Why is fast traffic dangerous?
FACT: It takes time for vehicles to come to a complete stop.
Q: As vehicles get faster, do their stopping distances:
Increase?
Decrease?
Stay the same?
A: Increase
Fast traffic is a big hazard for people on foot and bikes. But why is fast traffic dangerous?
When a driver spots something up ahead that means they need to stop, such as a child running into the road suddenly, their car won’t stop instantly. It takes time for the driver to spot the child, put their foot on the brake, and it takes time for the vehicle to come to a complete stop. That’s why you should never run into the road suddenly.
Stopping distances are the distances travelled by vehicles in between a driver spotting a hazard and coming to a complete stop.
Ask the class to put their hands up to say whether they think braking distances increase, decrease or stay the same as vehicles go faster.
[reveal answer] The answer is that the faster traffic goes, the longer it takes to come to a complete stop.
[reveal stopping distances chart] – next slide

24. STOPPING DISTANCES 30 mph 40 mph 50 mph 60 mph 23 m 36 m 73 m = 4 m
Put up first speed then ask the children how many car lengths they think a car would travel after braking if travelling at this speed. [Reveal the answer]
Repeat for other speeds.
Ask whether when being driven around do the drivers always stay at 30 mph..
Give the following scenario.
If a driver was driving at 20mph and they spotted something or someone up ahead, it would take them just 12 metres to stop. At 40mph, it would take three times this distance – 36 metres. That means that if you crossed a road without looking properly (or where you couldn’t see if anything was coming), and there was a car coming towards you at 40mph, they have to be more than 36 metres away to be able to stop in time.
[You could measure the classroom to be able to demonstrate the distances, or even take the children out into the playground to measure the different distances with a trundle wheel, with different children representing stopping distances at different speeds]
This means that the slower traffic goes, the better chance drivers have of spotting you and being able to stop in time if they need to. Very fast traffic is extremely dangerous – which is why you should try to only walk and cycle on roads with 30mph speed limits and avoid roads with faster traffic.
73 m
= 4 m

25. Plenary Choose safe routes Use crossings if you can
If there’s no crossing, find somewhere safe – away from parked cars and bends in the road
Stay focussed – never cross while using a mobile or stereo
The faster it is travelling, the longer it takes to stop
How do we cross smart. Choose a safe route with safe places to cross when you’re walking and using the Green Cross Code to get across safely.
- Use a crossing where there is one. If it is a crossing with traffic lights, wait for the green man. Or cross where there is a lollipop person to help you.
- If there’s no crossing, find somewhere safe – away from parked cars, bends in the road, and other objects that might stop drivers from seeing you, like a bridge over the road.
- Don’t trust traffic – sometimes drivers go too fast or do stupid things like use a mobile phone while driving, which distracts them. It’s up to you to look after yourself.
- Always use the Green Cross Code – it’s so simple and it could save your life. You’re never to old to use the green cross code!
Use the Green Cross Code

26. WAIT UNTIL IT'S SAFE TO CROSS LOOK AND LISTEN ARRIVE ALIVE
THINK FIRST
STOP
USE YOUR EYES AND EARS
WAIT UNTIL IT'S SAFE TO CROSS
LOOK AND LISTEN
ARRIVE ALIVE
Ask the class to call out what they thing the steps of the Green Cross Code are, then reveal them one at a time:
THINK FIRST – find a safe place to cross.
STOP – near the kerb.
USE YOUR EYES AND EARS - Look all around for traffic, and listen. Look in every direction. Listen carefully because you can sometimes hear traffic before you can see it.
WAIT UNTIL IT'S SAFE TO CROSS - If traffic is coming, let it pass. Do not cross unless there is a safe gap and you are sure there is plenty of time. If you are not sure, don't cross.
LOOK AND LISTEN - When it's safe, walk straight across the road. Always walk across, never run.
ARRIVE ALIVE - Carry on looking and listening as you walk.

27. Acknowledgements Department for Transport Making Choices
Think Road Safety Campaign
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
Leicestershire County Council
Travelwise – North Yorkshire
Produced by Buckinghamshire County Council - School Travel Planning Team – 27