- Published:
- Tuesday 8 March 2016
The Andrews Labor Government and the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) are giving every Victorian prep student a copy of a children’s book teaching them how to walk to and from school safely as part a new initiative to save young lives.
Over 78,000 copies of That’s the Sound the Street Makes by Victorian author Danny Katz have been handed out in Victorian schools this month.
The book is important reading for Victorian primary schooler children and their parents, with pedestrian injury being Australia’s leading cause of death for children aged five to nine, according to the World Health Organisation.
TAC figures show 17 pedestrians and five cyclists aged five to 15 lost their lives on Victorian roads in the ten years to December 31, 2015. In the ten years to June 30, 2015, a further 969 pedestrians and 299 cyclists aged under 17 were hospitalised following road accidents.
As well as teaching kids about road safety, the book contains practical advice to help parents and other adults to turn a simple walk around the block into a potentially life-saving lesson in road safety.
Parents can spend time reading the book with their kids and regularly take them on supervised walks to ensure the safety message is top of mind.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan
“Any life lost or serious injury on the roads is a tragedy but when young lives are lost it is especially devastating.”
“That’s the Sound the Street Makes can play an important role in opening children’s eyes to the dangers of the road and give them the skills to keep them safe.”
“Regardless of whether you have kids, we all share a responsibility to keep children safe on the roads and motorists need to slow down and be extra cautious when driving near schools and other places where children are likely to be.”