How to stop, look & listen

“Stop, look and listen” was the slogan of the Green Cross Code road safety broadcasts, produced by the Central Office of Information. The simple message helped cut road casualties 11 per cent in 1971, the year the code was launched. The Green Cross Man, played by a youthful Dave Prowse—who later found fame as Darth Vader—advised children on crossing the road for 14 years. Long after he hung up his Lycra jumpsuit, the phrase “stop, look and listen” remained. In 2009, it was going strong as the core message of a brand new road safety campaign.

Instructions

Stop

• 1

  Find a safe place to cross the road and then stop, so that you are standing still in the place you have chosen. Safe places are ones that give you a good, clear view of the road. A safe place has no obstructions, such as trees or parked cars, which make it hard for you to see, or to be seen by other road users.

• 2

  Avoid crossing right before a bend in the road or just below the brow of a hill. In places such as these, always look for another place to cross.

• 3

  Check to see that the pavement is clear on the opposite side of the road and that there is nothing there to block your access to it, such as a fence or a bollard.

• 4

  Stand near the kerb of the pavement but not on the kerb itself.

• 5

  Stand at the edge of the road if you are in a place where there isn’t a kerb, but keep well back from approaching cars.

Look

• 6

  Look all around you, taking your time to check for other road-users. Check for potential hazards, such as potholes in the road that might cause you to stumble.

• 7

  Look up the road and down it, to make sure you have seen all moving vehicles in the area.

• 8

  Try to make eye contact with approaching drivers, so you can be sure they have seen you.

Listen

• 9

  Listen for approaching cars. It is often possible to hear traffic coming well before you can see it.

• 10

  Do not cross the road while talking to others, whether in person or on your mobile phone. Take any headphones out of your ears before crossing so that you can hear clearly.

• 11

  Listen for sirens, car horns, bicycle bells or other warning sounds.

Cross

• 12

  Satisfy yourself that is now safe to cross the road. If traffic is coming, stand back and let it go by. Wait until there is a safe gap in the traffic.

• 13

  Walk straight across the road. This is the shortest and safest route. Do not take a diagonal route across the road. The longer the distance you cover when crossing, the more opportunity there is for an accident to happen.

• 14

  Keep looking and keep listening for cars and other road-users until you are safely across the road.