As a parent our child/ren's safety is paramount. As a mum of a child with additional needs keeping Blake safe can be hard as he has no danger awareness. He would happily run off into the road etc if it wasn't for keeping him in the buggy or with reins. Even though Blake seems to crave danger and not want to wait to cross the road or get on a train its still important to me to talk to him about the dangers.
When Networkrail got in touch as they have teamed up with preschooler favourite Thomas and friends, to teach children to be safe when using the railway . I knew the book would be a great way to talk to Blake about the dangers. Stay safe with Thomas is a storybook which hopefully will encourage parents to talk to their child/ren about rail safety like they do with other dangers they may counter when out and about.
The book sees a mischievous Thomas put having fun on the tracks above safety, meaning he was putting himself and others at risk. He learns from valuable lessons on dangers of not stopping at a level crossing when the red light shows, leaving gates open so animals get on the track and when people stand too close to the edge of the platform.
Because the railway is filled with both obvious and hidden dangers its so important that children are aware about safety on the railway . The book enables parents to talk to their child/ren in an engaging and fun way that is suitable for their age and understanding. In the last 5 years shocking statistics show that their has been an 80% increase in young people taking risks on the railway.
Networkrail and the british transport police are distributing copies of Stay safe with Thomas to local libraries, nurseries and docters surgeries across the country. A free electronic version is available to download here.
