What happened to the green cross code?
 

I'm just wondering what on earth happened to teaching kids and pedestrians about road safety? Why has all focus been directed onto the drivers of cars? All well and good that slowing down to 10 miles per hour reduces injuries, but if the pedestrian/child is not in the road in the first place then they will suffer no injury at all. When I was a child we had adverts on the TV featuring charlie and co and it drummed into us the green cross code and all about STOP, LOOK and LISTEN. Why are these campaigns no longer in action? Targetting drivers is pointless as there will always be idiots, targetting children when they are young and teaching them sense and road awareness has got to be a better way.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

Well roy not always the case is it!! not to long ago just up the road near my childrens school the was a drunk driver being chased by the police lost control of the car and went into the back of a 12 year old girl who was walking to school this was at 8.50 am, so you see you dont even have to be in the road to be hit by a car, and in the highway code book does it not stress all the way through that you must give way to pedestriens even if they are in the road?

All to often it used to drive me crazy when i was pushing the pram and you would get some unthoughtful git park the full car on the pavement so mum and pram had to go into the road to get around the car!!!

Sorry but you cant shift the blame to the pedestriens while my children hold my hands you are always responsible for your vehicle if you cant handle it dont drive it.

I was run over when i was younger and that was after i looked both ways!!

Sorry if i sound frantic but if people drove as they should and maintained their vehicle you should always be aware of the children around you your brakes should be well kept and yes children should always be tought the Green Cross Road.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

This has nothing to do with my point at all.. nobody can avoid a mad drunken fool ploughing into the pavement, I never said they could!

Not shifting blame, not blaming anyone.

I don't see how this is possible really? If you looked both ways you would have seen a car coming, unless you where crossing to close to a junction?

Of course cars should always be maintained, but even a well maintaned vehicle doing 10miles per hour will injure a child if they cross in front of it.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

I can remember the Tuffty Ads with the Red Squirrel and later the Green Cross Code Man. At the back of my mind I have an idea that Noddy and big ears did some road safety ads?

I think today the risk element of educating kids about road safety and the cost of public safety announcements on the television have all but brought the end to it. Watching kids coming out of schools is enough to make you want to leave the car at home….and then you have those kids and menaces who chose to race other peoples vehicles, bikes and quads on the public highway without regard for anyone’s safety.

I believe that schools should educate our kids in road awareness and safety and make it a part of the early year’s education program and award road safety certificates and a descent pin badge for different levels of achievement. Reinforcing the value of personal safety with something that is it’s self of value is the most likely way of getting them to see some sense of value in their own safety and that of others. This should also be supported with the reintroduction of sensible road safety public information films that show true to life events of failing to act responsibly on the Streets, road and highways.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

As a new parent I will be making sure that the GCC will be drummed into Siobhan. As will cycling proficiency and road sense. I take it as part of my parental responsibility to do so.

Then again, I was brought up not dragged up.

Ian

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

What is the attitude to road safety in Russia like Roy ?

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

Every man for himself! It is illegal here to cross the road unless on a crossing or under a subway. Drivers drive as fast as they can, which is a good deterrant for the pedestrians.. You've got to be crazy to not STOP LOOK and LISTEN. Main problem here is with drink drivers, as bribing the police is all you have to do to get away with it.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

maybe twil be a gd idea to ave that here lol.

i was brought up with the GCC and even teach it at cub's and beavers and will certainly be passing it down to my childeren when they come along.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

Exactly Ian, I too will be doing the same. It worries me that people would rather blame something that is out of their control than themselves. Yes its easy to say that car was driving to fast, but then you wouldn't have had to worry about that if you didn't step out in front of it.... I can't control how other people drive, but I can control how I cross the road.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

Sorry i think i rambled on a bit to much there what i ment to say in basic words were even if we all taught our children the green cross code it still would not always prevent accidents, i think i went a bit deep even for myself there sorry:o .

when i was about 7 or 8 i was only knee high to a grass hopper and the road i was crossing had a slight hill when i looked there was no car but as i got half way accross it hit me the lady in the car didnt see me either as she got to the top of the hill i was just there,
no fault it just happened.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

The majority of schools do learn the children about road safety. It is taught in reception and also in years 1 and 2. It is re-inforced throughout the school as the children get older. But i do think parents need to do there bit as well, whilst out with children.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

Who can answer the question - what is the connection between the Green Cross Code and Star Wars ?(certainly at least the very first film, 1977)

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

i watch with dread the children who leave the school nr me, one day there WILL be a very bad accident, ive yet to see the children,even the parents checking the rd before they cross.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

The connection is with the first 3 movies.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

I have been in the position of driving my car and children have deliberately walked into my path........and then walked as slowly as possible, almost daring me to hit them...or perhaps they wanted to see how quickly I could stop......having just come through a set of traffic lights I was only going about 15 miles per hour.
When I stopped my car and told these children they were playing a very dangerous game I was met with a stream of abuse......the eldest of these children was perhaps 8years old.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

The man who played the Green cross code man was a start character in Star wars, I can't remember his name though and what character he played.(Although darth vader rings some distant bell, Yep! http://www.swindonevent.com/darthvader.htm)

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

yes Margaret i have seen this happen too ,
its very frightning you know the kids have seen you, you have seen the kids but they still walk right out in front of you to see what your reaction will be .

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

Entwisi checkout your own link his name was David Prowse

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

Play them at their own game Margaret drive up slowly next to them and smack them on the backside with your wing mirror then winde the window down and tell them you will do a better job if they ever step out in front of you again! The total shock they are in means you won't get a stream of abuse and you can drive on with a smile on your face, 1-0 to the adults!

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

Correct, Mick & Enti...it was Dave Prowse. He was the 6ft 7" tall bodybuilder who was on t'telly in the early '70's as the Green Cross Code Man...and he also played the part of Darth Vadar in the first 3 Star War movies (although George Lucas did'nt use his voice)

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

Wot, no Ackers! Geesh, we used to win prizes once of a time

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

My son has very good road sense having been taught by me and his school. The problem comes when he or I are crossing a quieter road which runs off a main road eg Steiner st Blackburn road. We could stand there for ages waiting to see if traffic will turn into Steiner street so rightly or wrongly I have taught him to look at car indicators to see if a car is turning or not. Now if a car turns into Steiner st without indicating & my son is knocked down whose fault will it be? Mummiboo my Brother was knocked down by an ice-cream van in a culdesac as a child the van had too many boxes in the back to see him & was fined. It's not always the childs fault!!!!

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

Ian, I totally agree with your opinion. The reason that I didn’t allude to it in my post is that I expect that all reasonable parents have done or will do the same with their offspring. The first responsibility of a parent is to be a good parent and educator to our children. The states role is that of reinforcement and example. My point is that if we emphasise the value of safety to the group as opposed to the individual we may enforce and support the parent’s role, which may in turn reinforce other values like respect.

What I mean to say is that as a responsible adult and parent we teach our children the green cross code, cycle proficiency and ensure that our children can swim and know how and when to use a condom and this is then reinforced by the education system and made to be something that kids perceive to be a value then surly we would be on our way back to a society of values and respect. Unfortunately not ever parent is responsible or interested in the welfare of their offspring and I believe that the education system can and should be there to reinforce the parent’s values and teach those values to those that miss out through poor parenting as a group.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

Unfortunately we seem to live in a worls where people think t escools are the only source of education. Remember those three girls 12, 14 and 16 all with kiddies, The mum complained that the scools hadn't educated her children well enough.

My parents encouraged us to learn more and more, even today I am sat in a training course in Liverpool(just finished my exercises before everyone else in teh group so I thought I'd check Accyweb :) ) to get another technical skill so my job can be split across three areas making me more valuable to the company as I can be moved where the demand is greatest. I asked to do it because I enjoy learning.

Ian

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

I can relate to what Mummiboo is saying because my daughter was knocked down after looking both ways and crossing when there was no oncoming car in sight. It's difficult to explain the location but there's a long bend in the road and the car that hit her was somewhere out of sight round that bend. As she crossed the road a car pulled out of the school driveway and obscured her view until she had passed behind it, at which point she was hit by a car which came round the bend and which must have been perilously close to the car coming out of the school drive.

I've looked at the location and timed cars as they come into view round that bend and I can walk at quite a reasonable pace and cover far more ground than the width of the road before the car gets near enough to hit me and I've done that with cars and vans and all sorts. None of them would have hit me so I conclude that the car which hit my daughter must have been going faster than any of those.

Unfortunately the police didn't do any checks or measurements at the time but the council did put those pathetic half bumps in the road to slow traffic down which I don't really think solves it. What we had asked for was a zebra crossing outside the school drive as it's a very busy road and hundreds of children cross there morning and afternoon. Will they wait until a child is killed? My daughter was lucky. She survived. There have been several others knocked down but none as seriously injured - yet. My daughter does have road sense and was using it. She crossed when the road was clear.

I also agree about cars which don't use their indicators. There seem to be some drivers of the opinion that only other drivers need to see indication of here they are going, it doesn't seem to matter to them about pedestrians and yet it's as much use to a pedestrian to know if a car is coming round the bend at them.

I don't think we have "The Green Cross Code" as such any more because it was deemed too rigid and lulled children into a belief that once they'd looked and it was clear then it was going to stay clear. We have those funny little hedgehogs now which sing a song as they trot along and talk about avoiding busy areas as well as how to cross roads safely. I still agree that it is parents' responsibility to teach things like this to their children though.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

When you have a situation like in Lambeth, where Tufty the Squirrel was banned from schools because it was racist, it's no wonder children don't know how to cross the road!

However, it is no good telling children what to do if when you are with them you drag them across the road behind you without looking. I am constantly amazed that more pedestrians are not killed or maimed on our roads every day. They walk between buses, try to cross from your blind side, and often run across the road in front of traffic - then they stroll over to a shop window and peer in, so they're not in that much of a hurry.

I remember an American girl at the traffic lights at Russell Square, someone ran across the road in front of a bus. She was horrified and said to me "Why do they do that?". The answer is "Because they can get away with it". If we introduce a penalty for jaywalking, like many other countries have, fewer people will do it. If a pedestrian is injured through their own fault, by jaywalking, they should have to contribute towards their hospital treatment. The accident rate would go down immediately, and stay down.

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

I'm baffled (not unusual), but how on earth can Tufty be considered racist? Is it because he's a native red squirrel and the Lambeth powers that be feel he may be offensive to the illegal American immigrant the grey?

Re: What happened to the green cross code?
 

every parent should show their kids how to cross the road safely,started teaching mine before they were of school age even,if they don't or can't be bothered to show the kids then they shouldn't have children.