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Step 1
Start teaching children road safety rules when they are toddlers. Instruct them to never go into the street alone. Hold their hands and tell them that you are looking both ways before crossing. Remind them to stay on the sidewalk when you take a walk.
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Step 2
Encourage your preschoolers to look both ways before crossing. Teach them to look left first, then right, then left again. Have them help you to decide when it is safe to cross. When you feel that your child is ready, have him show you how he can cross a quiet residential street. Stand on one side and look both ways with your child. Send him across, then have him look both ways before returning to you.
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Step 3
Tell young children to cross only when the sign says "walk" on busy roads and to stay in the crosswalk. Have a child press the button on the traffic signal, and explain what the symbols mean. A white figure means that it is safe to cross, and a blinking or solid orange hand means that it is not safe to begin crossing the street.
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Step 4
Teach elementary-school-aged children to ride their bikes on the right side of the road and to walk on the left side of the road. Bicycles move with traffic, and pedestrians move against traffic. Ask your child what she would do in certain situations, such as a ball rolling into the road or a car suddenly swerving ahead of her.
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Step 5
Point out driving safety rules to your older children. Explain when you are turning right on a red light, for example, if this is legal in your state. Tell them when you are changing lanes, and why. Show them by example what to do when you miss a turn or if your cellphone rings when you are driving. Set a good example now to help them to learn safety rules before it is time for them to begin driving.
