4 Steps to Road Safety

Students learn about rules at home and at school. But perhaps the most important rules we follow every day are the rules of the road.

Purpose: To help students identify the importance of “4 Steps for Kids” and how they can help stay safer.

Materials: Calendar for recording birthdays, scale for measuring children’s weight, measuring tape for measuring height, crayons or markers, safety pins, 4 Steps for Kids printouts (PDF).

Optional Materials: Four large sheets of chart paper, magazines for cutting out pictures, scissors, glue, and markers.

Preparation: Print enough copies of the appropriate 4 Steps for Kids handouts to match the ages and sizes of your students. (See chart below.)

SAFETY SEAT #	CHILD’S AGE	WEIGHT or HEIGHT	SEAT TYPE AND POSITION
1	Before your first birthday	Less than 20 pounds	Rear-facing infant-only car seat OR convertible seat used in rear-facing position, secured in the back seat of the car.
1	Before your first birthday	20–35 pounds	Convertible seat used in rear-facing position, secured in the back seat of the car. Look for a child safety seat that is recommended for heavier infants.
2	When you are 1, 2, 3, and 4	20–40 pounds	Face forward in a convertible seat OR a forward-facing-only seat OR high-back booster/harness in the back seat of the car.
3	When you are 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8	Less than 4’9” (57 inches) tall	Belt-positioning booster seat (no back) OR high-back belt-positioning booster seat in the back seat of the car.
4	When you are 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12	More than 4’9” (57 inches) tall	May use an adult seatbelt, but must keep your back against the seat back, your knees bent over the edge of the seat, and your feet flat on the floor in the back seat of the car.
When you are more than 12 years old		More than 4’9” (57 inches) tall	May sit in the front passenger seat of the car with an adult seatbelt.

Procedure: Work with small groups of students to check height, weight, and ages. Use calendars to help students see when their next birthday will be. Then, using the chart above as your rules’ sheet, guide students to identify their Safety Seat Number. Do they have older or younger siblings, cousins, or friends who have a different Safety Seat Number?

As a group, have students talk about the safety rules their families use for riding in a car.

Give each child his or her proper Safety Seat Number. Help them color and write their safety statistics (age, weight, height) around the number. Then, help them pin their numbers on. As they go through the day, seeing other children in the school, have them announce: “My Safety Seat Number is ______. What’s yours?” This is a good way to have the whole school begin a child safety seat campaign.

Optional Procedure: Glue one Safety Seat Number printout on each of four sheets of chart paper. Then, work with the class to write the statistics (ages, weights and/or heights) for each number. (See chart above.) Have students go through magazines to cut out pictures of children who might fit the statistics and glue these on the chart paper. Place the charts on a bulletin board outside the classroom with the title: “4 Steps for Kids: What’s Your Safety Seat Number?”

Related Family Article: Rules for the Ride: Car Safety

Resources:

Child Passenger Safety. Excellent government site with a chart of specific rules.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Tips and fact sheets in English and Spanish (from general car seat safety to safety on schoolbuses for preschoolers)
Safe Kids USA. Find safety tips and statistics that help young children stay safe.

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Updated on 3/21/2012