Disturbing photo proves parents should never dress children in all-black clothes
As the darker weather fast approaches, if you're a driver, you'll notice that it can become harder to see certain obstructions in the road.
As the mercury drops, parents will naturally be giving their children more layers to wear including jumpers and coats, but they've been warned not to allow kids to dress in all black - as it can make it impossible for people driving to see. A resurfaced image, originally created by Christian Thomas of the Swiss Expert Council For Road Safety, has provoked many to think twice about their winter coat shopping, encouraging many to look at brighter options, as the colour of their little ones' coat could be a matter of life and death.
It's really difficult to see the child in this picture. Can you spot them? (Christian Thomas)The photo campaign, which has resurfaced online, shows a scenario that is identical - a child trying to cross a busy road. But there's a difference between the photos, and it's one that could potentially save the child's life.
The picture is taken from the perspective of a driver, and in the image above, you can barely see where the child is as they have an all-black outfit on. Even if you squint, you'll struggle to see. The child is completely camouflaged in the image where the child is wearing all black, which is dangerous as if they step out in the road, the driver may not have adequate time to react.
Whereas in the second image, where the child is wearing a bright yellow coat with coloured wellies, they're much easier to see. This means that if the driver was driving along on a wet blustery day, they'd be much more likely to spot them and be able to react if the child wanted to cross the road.
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The child is much more visible when they wear bright clothing (Christian Thomas)It's important that children wear high-visibility clothing if they're travelling in the dark, and they need to understand how vital it is to be bright and be seen. Tiny Hearts Education founder Nikki Jurcutz said she "ingrained" road safety habits into her children from "the moment they could walk" teaching them to always hold an adult's hand and wait for the green man and "funny noise" when crossing the street, according to the Daily Mail.
The mum wrote in an Instagram post: "In 2018, of all the kids who passed away due to some form of road traffic accident, 29% were pedestrians, and 5.9% were riding their bikes. Those numbers are just too high, and while they may have been exactly that, accidents; road-aware kids come from proactive parents who take the time to teach them."
She then went on to share some top tips: "Hold their hand to cross the street every time, from the very beginning. Describe what you're doing when you cross the road ["stop, look left for cars and bikes, right, left again. Can't see any, can't hear any; safe to cross with an adult".] Always cross at a crossing where possible. When out walking, explain things like you have to wait for the green man on the crossing sign. Teach them to stop a few steps back from the curb edge instead of right on it."
Twinkl has resources on how children can stay safe in the dark.
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