Staying safe means being aware of risks at home, on the road, and around water, and knowing what to do if something goes wrong. Simple habits — like looking both ways before crossing, wearing a seatbelt, and never swimming alone — reduce risk significantly. Just as important is knowing who to ask for help: a trusted adult, a teacher, or emergency services (000 in Australia) if there's a genuine emergency.
Example
If you're at the beach and get caught in a rip, the safest response is to stay calm, float, and raise an arm to signal a lifeguard for help, rather than trying to swim directly against the current.
Key terms
Risk:
The chance that something dangerous or harmful could happen.
Trusted adult:
An adult you can rely on to help in a difficult situation.
Emergency services:
Services like police, fire and ambulance, reached by calling 000 in Australia.
Questions
1. In Australia, the emergency services number is:
000
111
911
123
2. Before crossing a road, you should:
Look both ways
Run straight across without looking
Close your eyes
Ignore traffic lights
3. A trusted adult is someone you can:
Rely on to help in a difficult situation
Never speak to
Ignore in emergencies
Only trust with money
4. Swimming alone is generally considered:
Risky and best avoided
Always completely safe
Required at all beaches
The safest way to swim
5. In a car, you should always wear a:
Seatbelt
Helmet only
Backpack
Nothing at all
6. If you get caught in a rip at the beach, you should:
Stay calm, float and signal for help
Panic and swim against it as hard as possible
Go underwater and hold your breath
Ignore it completely
7. Risk means:
The chance something dangerous could happen
A type of game
A guaranteed outcome
A reward
8. Why is it safer to swim at a beach patrolled by lifeguards?
They can help quickly if something goes wrong
Lifeguards make waves smaller
Patrolled beaches have no water
It has no safety benefit
9. If a stranger approaches you and makes you feel unsafe, you should:
Move to a public area and tell a trusted adult
Go with them to be polite
Ignore your instincts completely
Say nothing to anyone
10. Calling 000 is appropriate for:
A genuine emergency needing police, fire or ambulance
Asking about homework
Ordering food
Checking the weather
11. Wearing a helmet while riding a bike mainly helps:
Protect your head in case of a fall or crash
Make you ride faster
Improve your eyesight
Have no safety benefit
12. If you're unsure whether a situation is a genuine emergency, a good first step is to:
Ask a trusted adult for guidance
Assume it's never serious
Wait several days to decide
Handle it completely alone regardless of age
13. Pedestrian crossings and traffic lights exist mainly to:
Help people cross roads more safely
Slow down pedestrians for no reason
Replace the need for looking both ways
Confuse drivers
14. Which is the safest choice when unsure how deep or rough water is?
Ask a lifeguard or trusted adult first
Jump straight in without checking
Assume it is always safe
Dive in headfirst regardless
15. Why is it helpful to identify several trusted adults (not just one) in your life?
If one isn't available, you still have someone else to turn to for help
Having more than one trusted adult is unnecessary
It only causes confusion
It replaces the need for emergency services
16. Why do safety experts recommend the buddy system (never swimming or exploring alone)?
A companion can get help quickly if something goes wrong
Being alone is always completely safe
The buddy system has no real safety benefit
It is only relevant for adults
17. Which best explains why staying calm is important in an emergency, like being caught in a rip?
Panic wastes energy and can lead to poor decisions, increasing danger
Panic always helps you swim faster to safety
Calmness has no effect on the outcome
It is impossible to stay calm in any situation
18. Why might it be riskier to cross a road while looking at a phone screen?
Distraction reduces your awareness of approaching traffic
Phones improve your reaction time
It has no effect on safety
Drivers can always see distracted pedestrians clearly
19. A younger child asks you what to do if they get lost in a shopping centre. The best advice is to:
Stay in one place and ask a staff member or security guard for help
Wander around looking on their own for hours
Leave the shopping centre alone
Approach any random stranger for a ride home
20. Which best summarises a balanced approach to risk and safety?
Being aware of real risks and taking sensible precautions, without being paralysed by fear
Avoiding literally all activities that carry any risk whatsoever
Ignoring all safety advice completely
Only worrying about risks that have already happened before
21. Practising an emergency plan (like a fire drill) before a real emergency mainly helps by:
Making the right response automatic and less panicked under stress
Having no benefit at all
Guaranteeing an emergency will never happen
Only being useful for adults
Answer key (parent copy)
1. 000
2. Look both ways
3. Rely on to help in a difficult situation
4. Risky and best avoided
5. Seatbelt
6. Stay calm, float and signal for help
7. The chance something dangerous could happen
8. They can help quickly if something goes wrong
9. Move to a public area and tell a trusted adult
10. A genuine emergency needing police, fire or ambulance
11. Protect your head in case of a fall or crash
12. Ask a trusted adult for guidance
13. Help people cross roads more safely
14. Ask a lifeguard or trusted adult first
15. If one isn't available, you still have someone else to turn to for help
16. A companion can get help quickly if something goes wrong
17. Panic wastes energy and can lead to poor decisions, increasing danger
18. Distraction reduces your awareness of approaching traffic
19. Stay in one place and ask a staff member or security guard for help
20. Being aware of real risks and taking sensible precautions, without being paralysed by fear
21. Making the right response automatic and less panicked under stress