As a global initiative, MobileKids is active worldwide in the interests of road safety. Children all over the world have to deal with the topic of "traffic". And in some cases quite differently: different conditions often apply in the various countries (e.g. due to left-hand traffic) and traffic behaviour can differ considerably. However, it is the same for all children: they need to learn to cross the road and keep safe in traffic themselves.
One theory about left-hand traffic is that people - especially right-handed people - used to mount their horse by putting their left leg in the stirrup first, then swinging their right leg over its back. The horse had necessarily to look to the left, as seen from the rider's perspective. And so that they didn't have to turn round before going any further, they would simply ride off in this direction. However, this is only one theory among many.
Quiz for children
Maybe you've already been abroad on holiday? Many of the road signs look exactly the same or similar to the ones you already know from home. But did you also notice some completely different traffic signs there?
Moki has seen many funny road signs on his journey around the world and has brought some of them back to show you.
This sign can also be understood by those who don't speak English. It shows two elderly people. As we now know, red stands for Careful. And there's the answer. Below the sign it says: "Elderly people" Because their eyes are sometimes not so good and they move more slowly, there is a special sign for them in Great Britain. You often see it when approaching retirement homes, and it tells you to be extra careful.
You've probably never seen this sign for real. We're fairly sure of this, because it stands by an Irish lake named Acres. It's the site of the first floating boardwalk. If you pass this sign, you are entering more than 200 kilometres of waterways and lake shores. So it was put there to make sure that nobody accidentally ends up with wet feet.