The TrackSAFE Foundation is encouraging primary school children to take extra care when heading to school on Friday for national ‘Walk Safely to School Day’.
General Manager of the TrackSAFE Foundation, Naomi Frauenfelder, said that WSTSD provided an opportunity for parents and carers of primary school-aged children to promote safe pedestrian behaviour, not only when crossing roads but also when near railway lines and pedestrian crossings.
“An estimated 250,000 Australian school students use the rail network to commute to school, largely unsupervised, each day,” Frauenfelder said.
“It is therefore important that days like ‘Walk Safely to School Day’ serve as a reminder to children and their parents of the risks involved when crossing or standing near rail lines.”
Frauenfelder said students regularly take risks near platform edges, and at pedestrian crossings.
“This is why TrackSAFE has developed an Australian first, national education initiative called ‘Be on the Safe Side’, for primary school students to learn about train and track safety,” she explained.
Be on the Safe Side provides teachers with learning resources to conduct engaging student- centred lessons within various Australian Curriculum learning areas with a train and track safety theme.
TrackSAFE says the program provides consistency in rail safety education throughout Australia, and empowers students to improve their own and others’ safety when they are near trains and train tracks.
“I encourage all children heading to school today to look, think and be on the safe side,” Frauenfelder continued.
“Stand behind the yellow line; hop off your skateboard or bike when crossing tracks; wait when the lights are flashing and gates are closed; and remove your headphones at crossing and on station platforms.”
For more visit www.tracksafeeducation.com.au