Hello fiends!
Well, all back at school now and mum says despite some recent sunny days; it’s very nearly Autumn, where did this year go!
That means it’ll start getting dark earlier (sigh!) so, we’ll be seeing the Cats Eyes working and brightly shining in the roads. Remember, they make driving on roads safer but, what makes actually crossing a road on foot, and paws, safer for you and me? Mums, dads and teachers at school tell us all about it – let’s remind ourselves of the best bits………….
Mum has taught me to ‘sit’ at every single kerb and I’m often on the lead in town – sitting and leads are for us dogs only of course! Think you’d get some pretty funny looks if you sat down!
This week mum and me visited our fiends at Woolacombe School, we met their really nice Lollipop Lady. She saw us safely across the road, whilst wearing a VERY bright coat, you can’t miss seeing it day or night!!
The Lollipop Lady’s coat and lollipop sign work a bit like the Cats Eyes, remember we talked about them before, and shine brightly when it’s a dull day or night-time by reflecting light. This is also sometimes called Hi-Viz.
You can get Hi-Viz bags and trendy clothes, especially good if you’re riding a bike or skateboarding. They glow really, really brightly when just a little light shines on them. For us dogs there are Hi-Viz leads and collars that have special liquid in that glows in the dark.Cool!
Good things to do when there’s no Lollipop Lady or Man; find the safest place to cross, stop just before you get to the kerb, look around for traffic and bikes, if something is coming let it pass by as it could be going much faster than you think, listen and when you’re sure as you can be its safe; go straight across the road – don’t run – you might trip over!!
When you can; it’s best to cross at a Traffic Island, a Pelican or Zebra crossing – it would be fun to see a Zebra on a Zebra crossing! Or go over the footbridge or under an underpass.
Even if it seems like a really, really quite little road always: Stop, Look and Listen – a car or bike could drive around the corner or whizz out from their driveway. Push bikes and some of the new environmentally friendly, electric cars are almost silent so, you must always look both ways just in case you don’t hear them. We’ll talk about cool electric cars another time!
Mum said in the olden days, they had The Tufty Club to help them learn and remember about road safety. It was fun and there were badges, stickers and games. Tufty the squirrel and his animal friends reminded you how to cross the road sensibly. Tufty said it’s good to hold hands with your fiends when you cross – but don’t muck about in the road!
Finally, fiends if you’re lucky enough to have an ice cream van that stops near your house – don’t be so excited about your ’99’ or lolly that you forget to Stop, Look and Listen!!
Stay safe fiends and Zebra’s.
Until next week!
The Adventures of Ragamuffin Lewis 