Help your child develop good road and street sense from an early age.

Every year, about 5,000 children under the age of 16 die or are seriously injured on the UK’s roads, and as they get older and become more independent the risk increases.

Most road traffic accidents happen during school holidays and on light summer evenings when children are more likely to be playing outside. Boys have nearly twice as many accidents as girls because they tend to play more outdoor games, such as football.

With older children, you can:

explain road safety rules and make sure your child knows to 'stop, look and listen'
ask your child, when you're out and about, whether she thinks it's safe to cross the road
help your child plan the safest route to a friend's house or the local shops

There are fun ways to get the message across, the government's Hedgehogs website uses interactive games, quizzes and jokes to teach children about road safety.

With teenagers, you can:

Keep talking to your teen about road safety issues and remind them about distractions such as listening to music while crossing or automatically following other teenagers across the road without checking it's safe.
Encourage them to practise judging the speed and distance of vehicles. Discuss the issues, to raise their awareness. One of the biggest road safety issues for teenagers is getting into cars with young drivers. Many drivers aged 17 and 18 show off by driving too fast, while others may be under the influence of drink or drugs. They often carry too many passengers, which is why a quarter of all 15-year-olds killed in road accidents are passengers in cars with drivers who are under 21.

While we all like to see our children getting some exercise, many road accidents happen while they're cycling.

To minimise the risk of this happening:

Ensure your child’s bike is the right size and well maintained, with good brakes, lights and reflective strips
Ensure they always wear a helmet and that it fits properly
Find a cycle safety course in your area - many schools and local authorities run them
Encourage your child to use cycle paths, lanes and routes if they're available

If you're a driver, remember to keep your speed down. Department of Transport research shows that 85 per cent of pedestrians who are hit by a car doing 40mph die, compared with 45 per cent at 30mph and 5 per cent at 20mph.