Children and Elderly People 兒童及長者

Supervising and Teaching Children 看管及教導兒童

Young children must not be out alone on the road, so you or another adult should go with them. On or near a road or pavement, hold their hands and walk between them and the traffic. If you cannot do this, use reins, carry them, or secure them firmly in a pushchair.

Children up to the age of 11 (before secondary school age) still need supervision on the roads, and you must hold their hands when crossing. If a child must cross alone, tell them to cross only when traffic from every direction has stopped or no traffic is in sight. Give children plenty of time for their journey, because a child who is hurrying or worried may not take care.

The Road Crossing Code is for all pedestrians, but children have to be taught how to use it. Many cannot fully apply the parts that need judgement of vehicle speed and distance, so the teaching, and the age at which a child may go out and cross alone, should suit that child's abilities. Adults should also set a good example by following the Road Users' Code carefully.

Let children play only in safe areas, never on the roadway or pavement or where vehicles may be moving or parked. They should not eat, drink, play mobile games, use a mobile phone or talk while crossing. Never wait for children on the other side of the road, because they may get excited and dash across. Keep a pushchair away from the kerb, and if an island has too little space for you and the pushchair, cross the whole road in one go when it is safe.

Children Riding Cycles and Multi-cycles 兒童騎單車及多輪車

You must not allow children under the age of 11 to cycle on a road without adult supervision. Children should be advised to ride on cycle tracks, away from vehicular traffic. No child should cycle on the road until they can ride competently and safely, fully understand the driving rules, and are prepared to share the road with other road users.

Children should wear suitable personal protective equipment, and their cycles should suit their physical condition and be properly maintained.

Multi-cycles may be ridden only in designated areas and cycle tracks shown by the relevant sign. A child under the age of 11 must be accompanied by an adult to ride or steer a multi-cycle in these places.

Child Safety in Vehicles 兒童乘車安全

The Road Users' Code, under its heading on private cars, says children are more vulnerable in crashes and are best protected in the rear seats with suitable restraints. A front seat passenger must not hold a child in their arms or on their lap, because in an accident the child can be crushed against the dashboard or thrown out of the vehicle.

The driver is responsible for ensuring that all passengers are belted up. A front seat passenger under the age of 3 must be securely fastened to the seat by an approved restraint for children, and this also applies in the rear if such a device is available. A front or rear seat passenger of or over 3 but under 15 must wear a seat belt or young person's restraining device if one is available.

If no suitable child restraint is available, for example when carrying a lot of children, a seat belt is better than no restraint at all. Let children get in first and get out last. When dropping off a child alone, stop wherever possible at a location where the child will not have to cross the road.

Elderly People on the Road 長者使用道路

Eyesight and hearing deteriorate with age. Judgement improves with experience, but this does not make up for slower movements and less ability to avoid the unexpected, and even a relatively minor accident may seriously threaten an elderly person.

Before going out, elderly people should plan a safe route with proper crossing facilities such as footbridges, subways, signalised crossings or Zebra crossings. They should not start to cross when the Green man is flashing, but wait for the next steady Green man, and they should never cross on the Red man. Where there is no proper crossing facility, they should follow the Road Crossing Code. Waving to stop traffic, or emerging from gaps between slow-moving or stationary vehicles, is dangerous.

On public transport, bulky items may cause danger, and chasing buses or public light buses is very dangerous. Allow adequate time for boarding and alighting, and watch for a possible large difference in level between the ground and the vehicle platform. Once on board, sit on the closest priority seat and fasten the seat belt if there is one; otherwise hold the handrail at all times.