Primary schools across the country are being encouraged to help children ‘spread important road safety messages in their community’, as part of a new competition launched by Brake.
Announced yesterday (5 April), the competition challenges children aged 4-11 years to design a poster to encourage drivers to slow down, to make it safer for them to walk and cycle to school.
The winning designs from two age categories (4-7 years and 7-11 years) will be turned into banners to be displayed outside schools or in the local community. Children can also win prizes worth ‘hundreds of pounds’ for themselves and their school.
The competition is supported by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), and sponsored by Co-op Insurance.
Brake has produced a series of free resources to support the competition, including assembly and workshop presentations that teachers and road safety professionals can deliver in school.
The competition theme is in line with the fourth UN Global Road Safety Week (8-11 May), which also focuses on speed.
Brake points to World Health Organisation (WHO) figures which suggest speed contributes to around one-third of road deaths in high-income countries, and up to half in low and middle income countries.
Dave Nichols, community engagement manager for Brake, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for schools, children and parents to work together to help raise awareness about the dangers of speeding in their local community.
“There is a significant need to help children deepen their knowledge about road safety, and teachers want to deliver lessons that they know will help.
“We’re sure our new resources and competition will inspire the next generation to be creative and passionate about getting adults to protect all of us when using roads.”
Entries need to be submitted by Friday 30 June – for more information visit the Brake website.
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WHO asks drivers to slow down for Global Road Safety Week
10 March 2017
A poster competition – cutting edge stuff – circa 1950!
Bill, Glasgow
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Poster competitions for primary schools is a useful method of engaging with this age group. I’m sure a large number of local Road Safety Officers consider this to be a normal part of their day job. Nothing against Brake for doing it as well, so long as they don’t “over-hype” something most of us have been doing every year for a very long time.
Pat, Wales
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If anyone from Brake is reading this forum, don’t be dismayed or put-off by the occasional bizarre comments from non-professionals who occasionally comment on the forum and whose comments can sometimes be borderline offensive and are not necessarily the views of everyone – usually the views of… one. Keep up the good work.
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
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I’m not sure I’d be happy to let my children participate in anything using material supplied by Brake. Judging by recent output from them presented here, they are not exactly neutral or unbiased are they.
I thought schools were forbidden anyway, from promoting such partisan views without balancing it with the opposing views. They certainly need to be wary of presenting any stuff from Brake as “fact”, and need to frame it as what is is and not imply it is in any way the “only” or the “correct” interpretation of the data.
Charles, England
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Quite a good idea really. Parents sitting in their cars outside schools are a captive audience and prominently displayed messages on the school railings – whether it’s about unsafe driving, inconsiderate parking or even “Did you need to bring your car today?” – will be read (several times over probably) and at the very least may make drivers ‘THINK!’. Anywhere where drivers are involuntarily or voluntarily waiting for periods of time, are good locations for safe driving messages.
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
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