Educating for Safety: Children, Roadworks, and the Role of Our Industry

Dashcam footage of children walking within road works

Last week, I witnessed something that really struck a chord. While driving through a road works site in wet weather, I spotted two children walking dangerously close to live traffic. They were clinging to the Heras fencing along a narrow verge, ignoring the clearly signed pedestrian diversion. One slip could have led to a tragedy. It was a stark reminder of just how vulnerable people—especially children—can be around roadworks.

Despite all our efforts to plan safe diversions, use correct signage, and protect work zones, there’s one crucial factor we often can't control: public behaviour. In this case, the children likely didn’t understand the risk. That’s not because they were being reckless on purpose—it’s because they haven’t been taught to recognise the dangers that come with live traffic and temporary traffic management setups.

The Education Gap

To be clear, these works have been professionally designed and implemented in accordance with the requirements of the Highways Agency and New Roads and Streetworks Act ("the red book"), however roadworks can be confusing environments even for adults. Add to that poor visibility, noise, and fast-moving vehicles, and it's clear how easily pedestrians—especially younger ones—can make unsafe choices.

This experience left me thinking: as an industry, we need to do more than just manage risk on-site. We need to start investing in education and outreach—especially for younger road users. Schools already teach the Green Cross Code, but how often are children taught what to do when footpaths are diverted, or what different types of signage at a roadworks site mean?

What Can We Do?

Here are a few ways we, as professionals in the traffic management and civil engineering sectors, can contribute to greater public safety awareness:

• Educational Programs in Schools: Collaborate with local schools to deliver sessions on road safety around temporary works. Make it engaging—use videos, demonstrations, even site visits (where safe and practical).

• Community Engagement: When large-scale works are planned, use newsletters, social media, and school outreach to explain upcoming changes to pedestrian routes and why it's so important to follow them.

• Clearer Signage and Physical Deterrents: While we follow strict standards for signage, consider whether additional barriers, clearer detour markings, or friendly "Safety First" reminders could help nudge safer behaviour.

• Partner with Local Authorities: Councils and highways authorities often have public safety initiatives—why not align our messaging with theirs and offer support where we can?

• Include Roadworks Awareness in Driver Education: Propose that road user education—especially during learner driver training—include specific guidance on driving through roadworks, recognising pedestrian diversion signage, and anticipating unpredictable pedestrian movement near live sites.

  
  

A Shared Responsibility

It's easy to assume that once the signs are up and the diversions are in place, we've done our job. But true safety goes beyond compliance—it requires a shared understanding between those setting up the works and those moving through them. Children and vulnerable pedestrians especially need our help navigating these temporary but potentially dangerous environments.

Let’s make it our mission not just to manage traffic but to actively promote awareness. By educating the public—starting with children—we’re not just preventing near-misses; we’re protecting lives.