As Victorian students gear up to head back to school, Kidsafe Victoria is calling for heightened road safety awareness.
This plea comes in the wake of 2023 marking Victoria’s highest road toll in the past 15 years, with transport incidents being a leading cause of child injuries and fatalities.
Kidsafe Victoria general manager Jason Chambers emphasised the critical need for road safety, especially during the bustling back-to-school period.
“Children aren’t just mini-adults,” Mr Chambers said.
“They’re still developing their understanding of traffic, lack the physical size of adults, and this makes them more susceptible to harm on the road.”
A significant safety concern lies in areas such as home driveways and car parks, the start and end points of many school-day journeys.
Each year in Australia, around seven children under 14 lose their lives, and 60 suffer serious injuries due to driveway run-over incidents.
“School times bring about a surge of kids, full of energy or tired, around our roads, car parks and driveways, particularly during those hectic pick-up and drop-off moments,” Mr Chambers said.
“Kids are curious, quick, and unfortunately, due to significant vehicle blind spots, it’s tough for drivers to see a child behind a reversing car.
“Children grow, but many up to 10 to 12 years old still need a booster seat for their safety in a crash.
“The risk of severe injury for children who fit into a booster seat but don’t use one can be up to 3.5 times higher. Keeping them in booster seats is safest until they exceed the size limit.”
Kidsafe Victoria advocates for children to switch to adult seat belts only when they pass the five-step test, ensuring they get optimal protection from the seat belt.
As the new school year kicks off, Kidsafe Victoria offers these essential safety tips for parents and carers:
- Reduce speed and be extra vigilant in school zones. Look out for signs indicating lowered speeds during school hours.
- Use designated school drop-off and pick-up zones.
- Always supervise children near traffic or when crossing the road.
- Lead by example: use school or pedestrian crossings to cross the road.
- Teach kids to ‘Stop, Look, Listen, and Think’ before crossing and explain its meaning.