UNSW Sydney Emeritus Professor Ann Williamson (L) and LBDF Co-Founder and CEO Michelle McLaughlin (R) with LBDF signage
Central Coast Council joins with Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation to boost child road safety awareness
Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation has joined forces with Central Coast Council and the University of NSW – Transport and Road Safety Research Centre on an innovative new program which evaluates child pedestrian safety around local childcare centres, and promotes safety of children around cars.
The Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation has received Federal Government grant funding from the National Office of Road Safety to co-design and implement the research pilot project. It is specifically focused on road safety initiatives to reduce child road trauma and will be rolled out in association with seven Local Government Areas in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, including the Central Coast Local Government Area.
The Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to protect child pedestrians from the ever-present danger of roadways and moving motor vehicles, community education and road safety collaborations with government stakeholder partnerships.
The Foundation was established in 2014 following the death of Michelle McLaughlin’s four-year-old son, Tom McLaughlin (pictured above) due to a pedestrian-motor vehicle crash whilst on a family holiday.
Michelle McLaughlin said land transport crashes are the leading cause of death for Australian children aged 1 to 14[1].
“Over the last decade from 2013 to January 2023, 587 children aged 0-16 years were involved in a road fatality crash, with 22% of these fatalities occurring when the child was a pedestrian or a cyclist. On average, one child per week dies in Australia this way, and It’s entirely preventable,” Mrs McLaughlin said.
“It is especially important for young children to hold their carer’s hand when around busy roads. My family knows first-hand the heartbreaking reality of losing a child to road trauma.
“Over the past nine years, the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation has partnered with 68 LGAs in four Australian states with its signage and media campaigns. This pilot program is very important, and we thank Central Coast Council for being so proactive.”
The Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation has also partnered with University of NSW to analyse the causes of child road trauma and death to identify better prevention strategies, and to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention methods. Based on the results of UNSW’s research, The Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation developed a new community awareness campaign aimed at parents and caregivers of young children in preschools.
“It is vital that parents understand why they must hold hands with their children in traffic environments,” said Michelle McLaughlin.
“Parents must actively always supervise children, especially those aged 1-10 years, who have significant cognitive, physical, and perceptual limitations around roadways. Due to these limitations, children are unable to keep themselves safe from road trauma events and need adults to perform this responsibility on their behalf.”
Central Coast Council Administrator Rik Hart welcomed Council’s involvement in the project alongside 10 local child care centres across the Coast.
“The safety of our children and preventing child road trauma on the Central Coast is of vital importance. This project with the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation will put pedestrian road safety at the top of all our minds,” Mr Hart said.
“Council will be helping to build safety awareness by installing metal ‘Hold My Hand’ signs, created by the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation, outside of each participating child care facility.
“Council is proud to support this pilot work of Little Blue Dinosaur, which boosts the efforts of our road safety programs and increases child safety on Central Coast roads.”
The participating childcare facilities are Kanwal Little Coast Kids, Kariong Child Care Centre, Niagara Park Children’s Centre, Northlakes Little Coast Kids, Terrigal Children’s Centre, Toukley Little Coast Kids, Umina Child Care Centre, Wyong Little Coast Kids, Kooloora Preschool and Peninsula Community Centre Long Day Care.
Local Member for Robertson, Dr Gordon Reid MP, also backs the project.
“As an emergency department doctor, I am very supportive of initiatives to reduce motor vehicle accidents involving children and boost road safety awareness,” Dr Reid said.
“The Australian Government will continue working to improve road safety for pedestrians, especially children, in partnership with organisations like the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation and Central Coast Council.
“I thank the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation, Central Coast Council, and the University of NSW – Transport and Road Safety Research Centre, for this important road safety project,” Dr Reid said.
The study taking place on the Central Coast will involve a pre-survey of attitudes about child pedestrian road safety; a community awareness/educational campaign with educational resource materials supplied to the preschools and after school care facilities; and a post-survey of attitudes to child pedestrian road safety to gauge the impact of the project. At the end of the project, the awareness and education materials will remain at the participating centres. A summary of the results of the project will be available later in the year via the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation website.
Since 2014, Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation has facilitated road safety signs in 68 LGAs, reaching millions of Australians. They are calling on more LGAs across the country to install this critical safety signage in areas of high pedestrian activity.
What everyone can do to increase child pedestrian safety:
● Just as it is vital for children to wear a seatbelt when in a vehicle, it is equally as important for children to practise safe behaviour as pedestrians around cars on our roads.
● Children under 10 need to hold an adult’s hand when near a busy road and children over 10 need to be reminded about the importance of being attentive near roads.
● Parents should talk to their children about road safety but also remember it’s just as important for adults to be aware and vigilant. Children are still learning and developing the abilities required to identify safe crossings and anticipate driver behaviour.
● Be cautious when on holiday or in new environments, particularly around areas of high pedestrian and vehicular activity. Road crashes take only a microsecond to happen.
● Speed is one of the greatest contributors to fatalities on our roads. The risk of death or serious injury is higher for children, even at very low speeds.
● Drivers should be on high alert for the safety of young pedestrians. Child pedestrians can move unpredictably, and their smaller size makes them harder for drivers to see.
● Drivers need to slow down around busy areas and be extra attentive when parking and crossing driveways.
For more information about the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation visit www.littlebluedinosaur.org
Australian Road Deaths Database Australian Institute for Health and Welfare
www.aihw.gov.au/reports/life-expectancy-death/deaths-in-australia/contents/summary