Road safety

Crossing roads and navigating traffic can be a daily challenge, and it’s become even trickier in recent years, especially for those with sight loss. With more cars on the road, quieter engines, and road layouts designed to keep traffic flowing smoothly, road crossings have become harder to navigate.

We're here to help you equip yourself with the skills and knowledge necessary to handle these challenges and understand your guide dog's training, limitations, and your role in making every road crossing as safe as possible.

A guide dog owner approaches a drop kerb with his guide dog.

Your role as a guide dog owner

Working out the safest time to cross a road is always up to you as the guide dog owner, as you have a better understanding of traffic risks than your guide dog. Therefore, your role is crucial in judging road crossings correctly to keep you and your dog safe. Before you begin crossing any road, take a moment to consider the following:

Are you in a good position to cross the road – is this the narrowest part where you’re also visible to oncoming traffic?
Can you assess when the road is clear and it’s safe to cross?
Are you wearing bright clothing or hi-visibility accessories so drivers can see you?
Are there alternative, safer ways to cross the road, like using a controlled crossing point, bridge, or underpass?

Once you’ve considered these factors, you should be able to make an informed decision and choose the safest crossing with your guide dog. If you’re still unsure or can’t accurately assess the traffic, it's always better to err on the side of caution. Your options include:

Find an alternative route to avoid the challenging road crossing
Ask for help from a sighted person to cross safely

Remember, if you wouldn't attempt to cross the road using just your cane, do not cross with your guide dog. Trust your instincts and prioritise safety above all else.

Equipment for safe road crossing

When the weather is bad, or the light is poor, you should take extra precautions to stay safe. Here are some handy safety aids you might want to consider:

Hi-visibility clothing: Wearing hi-visibility clothing, such as vests or jackets with reflective strips, dramatically improves your visibility to drivers and pedestrians. The bright colours and reflective materials help you stand out, even in poor weather or low-light conditions.
Short symbol cane: Carrying a short symbol cane in your free hand can be beneficial, particularly when visibility is limited – for example, in poor lighting. This lightweight, hi-visibility aid ensures that you’re easily seen by others in busy or potentially hazardous environments.
Flashing collars: A flashing collar can enhance your dog’s visibility in the dark. These collars have built-in LED lights that emit a steady or flashing glow, making it easier for others to see your dog and recognise their role as a working guide dog.

Your orientation

By practising your orientation and mobility skills, you'll enhance your road-crossing abilities, helping you feel more confident on your journey with your guide dog.

Using a long cane to cross the road

Crossing a road with a long cane is a valuable skill for all guide dog owners to maintain, as it provides an extra layer of safety and independence.

A long cane is an important tool. Not only does it help you gather information about the road surface, such as texture and potential obstacles, by lightly tapping the ground, but it also provides a physical signal to other road users and pedestrians. Learn more about long cane skills.

How your guide dog helps you to cross the road

Your guide dog is trained to make road crossings straight and direct and minimise the risk of veering by targeting the up-kerb. However, you must ensure your dog stays on the right path towards the up-kerb. Giving positive reinforcement, such as a food reward or praise, when your dog finds the up-kerb can be a great way to help them maintain a straight crossing.
Guide dogs are well-prepared to handle traffic situations. During their training, they're exposed to different types of vehicles like cars, trucks, bikes, and even mobility scooters. They're taught to stay calm and relaxed when passing by these vehicles. They're also trained to confidently use pedestrian crossings.
During training, guide dogs learn an emergency response to approaching vehicles. If they’re already on the road, they’re trained to stop; if they’re on the down kerb, they’re taught to stay still. However, remember that there are lots of different vehicle types on the road, and training typically focuses on limited environments and vehicle types.

While your dog may respond to a particular car on a specific route, they may not recognise all types of vehicles in all environments. As a guide dog owner, it’s always your responsibility to assess if the road is clear of traffic and safe to cross as your guide dog’s traffic response shouldn’t be solely relied on.
If a car comes too close or you misjudge the traffic when crossing a road your guide dog may stop and create a buffer zone between you and the approaching vehicle. It's important to remain calm and stop with your dog, re-assess the traffic, and only ask your dog to continue forward when the road you’re crossing has become clear.

Clues to help when crossing a road

Crossing roads can be made easier with the help of certain clues that you can rely on to orient yourself, for example:

Sounds of traffic flow: When out with your guide dog, you can use the sound of traffic flow to your advantage. This information can help you work out the speed, timing, and gaps between vehicles. Once you can detect this information about traffic and the direction it’s coming from, this can help enormously help with deciding when to cross a road.
Textured crossings: Some road crossings have textured surfaces, like tactile paving or tiles. This type of tactile paving is integrated into the pavement and extends across the entire crossing area, creating a consistent tactile surface, typically consisting of raised bars, studs, or domes. These surfaces feel different underfoot, providing a tactile guide so you can confidently locate the crossing point.
Tactile cones: Tactile cones, also known as tactile ground surface indicators (TGSI), are small, standalone markers with a distinct texture, typically in the form of truncated domes or raised bumps. Tactile cones are strategically positioned at the edges or boundaries of the crossing area rather than covering the entire crossing area like textured crossings.
Beeping crossings: These crossings have audible signals that make a distinctive beeping sound to indicate when it's safe to cross. You can determine when to start crossing the road by listening for these signals.
Spinning cones: Some pedestrian crossings have a feature called a rotating tactile cone or spinning cone. This is found near the push-button or signal pole of the crossing. When you touch or push the spinning cone, it rotates and sometimes makes a noise helping you to know when to safely cross the road.

A guide dog owner and her guide dog approach a crossing box. She is feeling for the spinning cone with her free hand.

Practising and reinforcing traffic work with your guide dog

In training sessions with your Guide Dog Mobility Specialist present, you’ll have the chance to practice and refine your road-crossing skills with your guide dog. We’ll cover various scenarios, such as traffic you may encounter while you’re on the pavement, traffic you may meet on the road if you’ve misjudged the crossing, and driveway traffic. These practice sessions are closely supervised by your Guide Dog Mobility Specialist, and our trained staff drive the vehicles. We choose quiet areas for these exercises to ensure your safety and teach you how to react if you misjudge the traffic.

We'll also provide guidance to help you make wise decisions when crossing roads and identify safe crossing spots. One crucial skill we emphasise is aligning yourself with the kerb before crossing the road. It's an essential part of staying safe while moving around. Throughout your training, we'll also support you in using and developing these skills.

Remember, staying safe whilst working with your guide dog is an essential skill to master. However, please remember that simulating a traffic situation can be risky for you and the driver of the oncoming vehicle. Be sure to leave that part to your training sessions.

Electric vehicle awareness

With more electric vehicles (also referred to as ‘EVs’) on our roads, it's essential for you to be aware of the dangers they pose when you and your dog are out and about. Unlike traditional vehicles, EVs often operate quietly, making it difficult for your dog to detect them by sound alone. That's why, when possible, it's essential to stay vigilant and scan your surroundings for cues, such as any lights or signals indicating an approaching EV.

To address this, newer EVs are now equipped with sound-emitting devices called Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS) or Pedestrian Warning Systems (PWS). These systems make sounds like regular vehicle noises and provide pedestrians with audible cues to detect and identify approaching EVs.

Collisions, accidents and near misses

If you and your guide dog are involved in an accident or a near miss, you should always take appropriate steps to ensure both you and your dog’s wellbeing. Even if your dog appears fine, we recommend you have them checked by your vet to rule out any hidden injuries.

Remember, even a near miss can have a psychological impact on you and your dog, potentially affecting the confidence you both have when navigating roads and dealing with cars. Your Guide Dog Mobility Specialist is here to help in such situations. They can offer valuable guidance on assessing your dog's wellbeing and provide the support you need to regain your confidence when travelling after an incident.

Learn about use of food in your partnership

Get in touch

Call our Guide Line to speak to an expert who can provide information and advice - we're here to help. We're open 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday (except bank holidays).

information@guidedogs.org.uk

0800 781 1444