Starting Out Safely is Victoria’s early childhood road safety education program. Starting Out Safely is about children, parents, carers and early childhood educators working together to guide children’s learning in being and becoming safe and independent road users.

Road safety education of young children is an enabler for their active participation in their community.

Road safety education during early childhood and the school years plays an important role in laying strong foundations for safe road use throughout life.

We are committed to the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of all children, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and children with a disability.

All children have a right to be transported in a child car seat that is appropriate and fitted correctly for their height and size. 

The starting out safely program has been developed through evidence-based research, in collaboration with leading early childhood experts and is based on best practice principles.

The Starting Out Safely program has five main objectives:

1. To facilitate the adoption of the Road Safety Education and Safe Transport policies by early childhood services and family day care providers.
2. Deliver an efficient and effective model for the statewide delivery of early childhood road safety education professional development.
3. Deliver an efficient and effective model for the statewide delivery of child car seat and booster seat education sessions.
4. Deliver an efficient and effective model for the statewide delivery of the ThingleToodle (TT) education sessions.
5. To advocate for the value of early childhood Road Safety Education by influencing early childhood policy at the state and national level, raising the profile of the Starting Out Safely program and improving outcomes for Victoria.