For Road Safety week, pupils have been learning about how to be responsible pedestrians and passengers. We welcomed Mrs Hart and Mrs Dufrier from Bradford Council’s Road Safety Team to School to talk about the many dangers of using the road.
Great Explorers and Reception were shown how to get to school safely. The Sports Hall had been transformed into a road with pavements and crossings.
We all took it in turns with Miss Coulton to cross the road safely. There are five steps to safely crossing a road:
- Holding hands with a responsible adult
- Stopping on the pavement before you cross
- Look left, look right. Keep looking around to check for vehicles
- Listen out for any engine noises as a vehicle could quickly approach
- Cross the road, but keep holding hands and looking just in case.
Forms 1 and 2 went next and learnt all about finding the safest place to cross the road. We all took turns crossing the road with Miss Brown, and Mrs Dufrier pretended to be a lollipop lady who helps us get to school safely.
We crossed over to one side using a zebra crossing, and used a pelican crossing to walk back to understand the different ways you can safely cross a road. We had to press the button and wait for the green man to appear on the sign. Hughie dressed up as a car to show what it would be like if a vehicle was approaching.
In the KS2 sessions, we were taught about keeping safe inside a car. We found out about the consequences of not wearing a seat belt and how it can not only hurt yourself, but other passengers in the car.
Some of the other things we learnt were:
- Car seats MUST be used if you are under 135cm tall OR under 12 years old. They boost you up so you can wear a seat belt safely and comfortably.
- If you crash at 30mph, you are 30 times heavier which can do a lot of damage. A 10 stone adult not wearing a seat belt will be as heavy as an elephant if they crash!
The lessons were also very interactive as we could volunteer to sit in a pretend car. Four of us tried sitting in the back seat, but Mrs Hart told us that is dangerous and illegal.
We looked at other ways to carry a fourth passenger, including sitting in the boot and in the foot well, but we know that the best place for a spare passenger to be is not in the car – they can wait for a bus with an adult, or wait at School with a teacher whilst a parent drives over to collect them.
Too many people in the backseat!
Mrs Hart and Mrs Dufrier commented on how attentive the pupils were and how great it was to receive so many questions on road safety.
Eager to learn!
The sessions were part of Ghyll Royd’s Road Safety Week. We’ll be talking more about road safety in class to discuss the dangers of using the road, and how we can be responsible pedestrians and passengers. Thank you to Mrs Hart and Mrs Dufrier from Bradford Council’s Road Safety Team!
