Safety outside the home

From birth, your baby will need to use a rearward-facing baby seat. This is because a rearward-facing seat will provide greater protection for your baby's head, neck, and spine. 

 Your child will need a child car seat by law to travel in a car until they are 12 years old or 135 centimetres tall.   

Understanding the right type of car seat for your child can be confusing.  The following video will help.

ROSPA have guides and downloading material to help.  

Child Accident Prevention Trust also has some useful information about child car seat safety broken down into ages.

Your young child will have no fear and will need to be taught road safety by you. Learning certain awareness of the world around them can take time. These are concepts like fast, slow, near, far, up, and down.  However, these can be introduced and understood through play.   

• Here are some tips for keeping your child road safe:  
• Hold your young child’s hand.  
• When walking along a pavement, keep your child on the inside away from the road.  
• Use walking reins to help.  
• Your child will learn from watching what you do.  Remember to stop and look before you step onto the road and talk through what you are doing.  
• Once your child is 5 years old, you could start teaching them to stop, look, listen, and think, also known years ago as ‘the Green Cross Code’.   
• As your child gets older, they can be easily distracted, so remind them to not use their mobile phone or listen to music while crossing the road.  
• when crossing a road, make use of any available pedestrian safety measures such as: 
  • zebra and pelican crossings 
  • pedestrian islands 
  • school crossing patrol officers or lollipop people 

ROSPA have a useful guide for parents and videos to watch for different age ranges.    

The following video show 3–6-year-olds understanding crossing the road safely through play. 

Scooting with your friends or cycling along bike trails with your family are great ways to make happy memories. A few key points to keep your children safe while playing: 

• Wear protective gear. Helmets are strongly recommended for all children using bikes or scooters to protect against head injuries. Also available are elbow and knee pads and gloves. It's a good idea to wear closed-toe shoes for protection. 
• Complete Bikeability Training. Children are encouraged to take part in Bikeability. It's a government funded cycle training program, completely free of charge. Bikeability teaches road safety skills, including how to ride safely in traffic. This program enhances confidence and safety awareness. Find out more about Bikeability.  
• Choose safe environments. Children should use scooters and bikes in safe environments. This could be places like parks or quiet areas, or designated cycle lanes. Avoid busy roads. 
• Stay visible: Ensure your children are visible to others, especially during low-light conditions. Bright clothing, reflectors, and lights on bikes or scooters help with visibility . 
• Regular Maintenance: It's important to check your child's bike or scooter often. Check brakes, tires, and overall condition of the bike or scooter. This prevents accidents due to mechanical failures,

e-scooters

For personal e-scooters, you must be at least 16 years old to ride. You should still wear protective gear. If you own your e-scooter, they are only to be used on private land, with the landowner's permission. It's illegal to use your own e-scooters on public roads, pavements, or cycle lanes.  

If you are renting a government e-scooter, you must be at least 18 years old and have a driving license or provisional. They must only be used on roads and cycle lanes, not pavements. 

For e-scooters, the government is continuously assessing their safety. Find out more about rented and private use e-scooters.