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Road safety: Parents should lead by example

Teaching the rules of the road to children is crucial. It will sensitise them, make them mindful of the protocol that needs to be followed on roads and protect them to a great extent against any harm on the roads in their growing up years. It will also lay a strong foundation for their adult life and ensure best practices are followed when they eventually get behind the wheel. Frequent awareness campaigns are therefore important to keep influencing people to follow good road habits.
Most of the road accidents are caused by human error. They are the main cause of fatalities and injuries across the globe. Parents can play a pivotal role in guiding children in this regard and teach road safety rules to them early on their life. Basic stuff such as crossing the road after looking both ways; teaching them about traffic signs and signals; educating them about the difference between red and green signals; what the yellow signal means, can help a great deal.
Presence of mind is important, so parents should discourage the use of gadgets/ smart phones when on the road, tell them to use sidewalks while walking, and cross the road only at pedestrian crossings. Setting rules for in-car behaviour is also mandatory and they should made to adhere to the bus safety tips. Children should be taught that they have responsibility towards their personal safety. The safety awareness will go a long way if parents lead by example.
The writer is based in Abu Dhabi