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Rail safety is just as important as road safety, but doesn’t get spoken about nearly as much. A Mumsnet survey found that a third of parents have never had a conversation about rail safety. This might be because 3 in 10 parents don’t feel they know how to approach the subject.
The amazing people at Network Rail have teamed up with Thomas and Friends to create a free ebook that helps parents talk about this important topic.
We’ve been lucky that Greg is a huge fan of trains. When children are interested in something, it’s so much easier to get the conversation going.
Starting the Conversation About Rail Safety
Greg and I have spent a lot of time looking for trains together. Before he started full-time school we would visit our local train station to watch the trains pass most afternoons.
It’s a beautiful little country station where the building has been turned into a house, so it’s just a platform with lots of flowers and greenery nearby. Everything about our visit to the train station brings the opportunity for a conversation about safety.
If we’re in the mood for a big walk we take a stroll up to the station, otherwise we just park nearby. Whichever way we come from, we meet a level crossing, so from an early age we’ve chatted about how to use it safely.
Greg knows that if the siren sounds and the lights flash he must stop. I think it’s important to instil from a young age that they shouldn’t try and rush across before the barrier goes down. I’ve seen so many shocking videos of near misses that it’s something I drum into my children.
We also try and stand well back from the crossing barrier so that there’s absolutely no chance of danger. You can enjoy watching a train pass without being up close to it.
Thanks to the timings of our local station, two trains pass in opposite directions ten minute apart and on alternate hours it’s three. So if we’re a little late and watch the first from the crossing, we’ll still catch another pass us on the platform – which is our favourite place to watch from.
How We Cover Rail Safety
We generally start the conversation on the walk up. I don’t want to sound like I’m lecturing my son, so I keep it chatty. I figure talking about the same thing every time we’re near the station will help it stick.
First we chat about the level crossing, it’s good that we get chance to see it in action. It makes our little visit extra exciting if the barriers come down and we have to wait while the train whizzes past. It also means we have a visual aid for why you shouldn’t play near tracks – those trains go fast and don’t stop easily.
Next we wait on the platform. There is seating provided near some pretty flowers and if we know we’ve got 10 minutes or so, we’ll sit while we wait. The level crossing barrier comes down a minute or two before the train comes, so that’s our cue to stand to get a better look.
We make sure we stand a safe distance from the edge of the platform. This is another great opportunity to chat about why. It’s easy to keep this topic light and talk about how fast those trains go again.
We also talk about how we don’t want to drop anything on the track as we wouldn’t be able to get it back. This station has no staff, so there isn’t even anyone to tell.
How Stay Safe with Thomas Helps
Greg and I have read the Thomas and Friends ebook together. We love reading together as it’s a peaceful time when we can bond and have a cuddle. Because Greg has had the rail safety conversation a few times, he was able to make comments as we read the story together. He was doing his own danger spotting. The ebook can really help reinforce information around rail safety and remind children what is and isn’t safe behaviour.
A Mumsnet survey showed that only half of parents talked about rail safety compared to road safety, but 80% of all parents know they should. This book is a great conversation-starter because kids love Thomas the Tank Engine and the story engages them. Thomas is a cheeky engine but the story teaches safety in a gentle way. It even has a little tick sheet at the back for your children to fill in when you take them on their next train journey.
The important thing to remember is that you don’t only need to teach rail safety if you live near a railway line. There will be times when you use trains or travel to areas with level crossings and train tracks. If your kids are prepared then they can practise rail safety just like road safety.
Reading your children stories that involve rail safety will help them remember. It’s easier to keep them engaged if you can capture their interest. If you’re like us and you partake in a spot of trainspotting yourself, you can re-visit the conversation on how to stay safe. I think for young children, the best way to drum it in is to keep them talking about it. Don’t forget to download your free ebook!
*This blog post is in partnership with Mumsnet and Network Rail
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Thank you for this. There are often deaths on the railway line near our house.
Ps #kcacols xx
How sad and scary to think about. Railway safety is really important x
Such an important subject, thanks for this
It really is, isn’t it? And so often overlooked!
Love this! It’s so important that kids are aware of the dangers around the tracks, and it’s one of my big fears living nearby to a station that when the kids are old enough to be out and about without me that they’re switched on to the dangers, Reinforcing from a young age will certainly be a good thing! Xx
IT’s so important but so frequently forgotten to be brought up! I love the ebook as a way of approaching it without alarming the littles too much! x
This is such an important message. We are always walking by our train line and the boys absolutely love it but this means we also constantly talk about the safety of everything. I’ve seen kids messing about when crossing the line and it terrifies me. We need to keep spreading these messages
Great article. I’m embarrassed to say that apart from keep away from the edge when we go to London, I don’t think the subject has ever come up. I don’t think we have ever crossed a railway level crossing by foot.
Great post. We also love trains and to allow children to go on them but making sure they understand safety is key.
It’s a really great idea to talk about it with kids. I need to start introducing it to my son. He loves trains so he will be interested in it #KCACOLS
This is such a great idea! We have lots of train crossing were i live so this will definitely be helpful when my 2 year old gets a little older. I’ve started on safety when crossing roads but had never thought about train crossing. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time.
Such an important topic. And this book obviously deals with it perfectly for this age group. #KCACOLS