The Green Cross Code is a guide for everyone showing you how to cross the road safely.
To begin with you need to find a safe place to cross and then…..
STOP – Wait with your feet behind the kerb so that you are away from the traffic and you can see everything that is coming. Make sure that you don’t stop on the edge of the kerb as you could lose your balance and fall into the road.
LOOK – Look all around for traffic in every direction.
LISTEN – It is important to use your ears to listen for traffic that you cannot see. Sometimes traffic could be a long distance away or coming from round a corner and we can hear things before we can see them so we will know that it would not be safe to cross.
THINK – Wait until it is safe to cross and then walk straight across the road and remember to keep checking as you cross.
Holding hands
Hold hands with a parent, carer or older brother and sister to keep you safe.
It is easier for the traffic to see adults because they are bigger than us and by holding hands we can use two sets of eyes and ears to check whether it is safe to cross.
Safer places to cross
How many safer places to cross can you think of?
Sometimes there are safer places to cross the road where there may be something on the road or at the side of the road to help pedestrians.
There are lots of different safer places to cross because there are lots of different types of roads that we might want to cross.
Using a crossing with traffic lights
Sometimes crossings have a red and green man that can make it easier to cross safely. Push the button and wait where you can see the traffic and the signal.
Even if the Green Man appears and the signal starts to make a beeping sound it is still really important to check that both sides of the traffic has stopped before you cross.
Once both sides of traffic have stopped and if the green man is still on, you can walk across safely, but don’t run!
Zebra crossings
Wait on the pavement near the kerb until all the traffic has stopped. Only start to cross when both sides of the traffic have stopped.
Walk across the black and white markings and keep looking and listening as you cross.
School crossing patrols
Never follow the school crossing patrol into the road until they have got to the middle of the road and let you know that it is safe to cross.
Always cross in front of the school crossing patrol so that they can see where you are.
Crossing between parked cars
You should only cross between parked cars if there are no other safer places to cross. Crossing between parked cars is dangerous because you can’t see the road clearly and the traffic can’t see you.
Find a safe space
If you have to cross between parked cars then first you must choose a safe space. This means a space that isn’t too big so that a car could park in it and that isn’t too small so that if one of the parked cars moved it would crush your legs. You should also make sure that the other side of the road is clear.
Check the parked cars
Make sure neither of the cars that you want to cross between is about to move off. Look for people inside the car, check the lights and listen for the engine.
Stop at the edge of the parked cars
Use the edge of the parked cars as your new kerb. Keep your toes and your body behind the edge of the parked cars and check for traffic.
Use the green cross code and arrive alive!
Crossing at a junction
Sometimes the quickest route isn’t always the safest route and crossing near junctions and corners can be very dangerous.
Be extra careful to look and listen for traffic turning the corner especially if it is coming from behind you.
Think about all the different directions that traffic can come from and make sure it is safe before you cross the road.
Crossing at junctions is dangerous because we don’t have time and space to see what is on the road!
Be Safe Be Seen
Fluorescent material – Is a light bright material that works during the day time. Wearing darker coloured clothes can make us camouflage into the environment so by wearing something bright we stand out and can be easily seen.
Reflective Material – These types of material are the silver strips that are placed over the top of the fluorescent material. They work best at night and help you to be seen up to three times as far away.
Can you think of anyone who works on the road that wears reflective and fluorescent material?
Useful website links
Try visiting these fun websites for activities, games and information.
Go to the Hedgehogs website
Go to the DingDing website
Go to the Arive Alive website
