A
crossing guard (
United States and
India), a
school crossing patrol officer (
United Kingdom),
school crossing supervisor and sometimes guard (
Australia) or
school road patrol and guard (
New Zealand) is a
traffic management volunteer who is normally stationed on busy
roadways to aid
pedestrians. Often associated with
elementary school children, crossing guards to stop the flow of
traffic so pedestrians may cross an intersection. Crossing guards are known by a variety of names, the most widely used in the United Kingdom and Australia being "
lollipop lady/
man", a reference to the large signs used that resemble
lollipops.