The road-safety letter

In Chapter 3 of your book, Santoor, 'Be Smart, Be Safe', there is a letter to children from the traffic police of Bharat. It begins with 'Namaste!' The police say that some children walk to school, some ride a bicycle and some come by bus. Roads are often busy and can sometimes be dangerous, so the traffic police want to keep children safe. They share six rules.

Rule 1: always use the zebra crossing, the black and white stripes across the road. Look right, then left, then right again, and cross only when no vehicle is coming. Rule 2: follow the traffic lights. Wait for the pedestrian signal to turn green, and never run across the road; walking calmly is safer. Rule 3: walk on the footpath. Footpaths are for pedestrians, people who are walking, so stay on them and away from moving vehicles.

Rule 4: hold an adult's hand when you walk near the road, and most of all when you cross it. Rule 5: if you walk on a road in the evening, stick reflective stickers on your clothes, so that drivers can see you clearly. Rule 6: be alert. Do not play near roads, and do not use headphones or a mobile phone while walking near traffic, because they can distract you from the sounds of the traffic.

The letter ends by asking children to follow these rules and work together with the police, to make the roads safer for everyone.