A new guide designed to help keep children safe on the roads when travelling to and from school has been launched by RoSPA.
The safety charity was commissioned by Public Health England to produce the document, which aims to help schools promote safe active travel for children to and from school.
Titled Road Injury Prevention: Resources to Support Schools to Promote Safe Active Travel, the guide was launched during RoSPA’s 2016 Road Safety Conference on 2 March (pictured left).
It provides advice and information for teaching staff, parents and carers highlighting the importance of supporting effective road safety education as well as sharing steps that some schools have taken to promote safe active travel.
The number of child road deaths and serious injury in England rose from 1,732 in 2013 to 1,782 in 2014.
Nick Lloyd, RoSPA’s road safety manager, said: “Road collisions remain one of the main causes of premature death amongst children and young people aged 0 -15, which is why it is important that we highlight the issue in order for schools to contribute to road injury prevention and help save lives.
“This document is a useful guide for people working in education enabling them to help reduce road accidents involving children by teaching them how to cope with the traffic environment.”
Eustace de Sousa, national lead for children, young people and families, Public Health England, said: “We’re delighted to work with RoSPA on this important piece of work to help raise awareness of the risks of road accidents in young people as they travel to and from school.
“We remain committed to working with local authorities and educational professionals to stop the number deaths from road collisions amongst young people from increasing. By taking this important data and guidance in consideration, we can help reduce preventable deaths in the 0-15 age group.”
“As soon as the child begins to attend school he should be given a few of the very simple rules conducive to road safety. He should be taught to “stop-look-Think” “look right-look Left” “keep on the Pavement” and to observe elementary rules of this kind.”
That is taken verbatum from the report of the Inter-departmental Committee (England and wales) on Road Safety among School Children.
The committee sat in May 1935.
It went on to address using all areas of the curriculum, songs and role play for younger children science lessons and citizenship for those slightly older right up to essay and art competitions. Reference to taking advantage of trips to the library and swimming baths and kerbside (yes, kerbside) training for 5 to 7 year olds with crossing or carriagewaY training for 8 to 11 year old children. it also includes cyclist training and charities running “Safety Weeks”!
The committe met specifically to address reducing casualties among primary school age children.
This “new” guide does that again and adds information about active travel and pulls together information for us on where one can locate lesson plans and ideas and for that thank you RoSPA.
Peter City of Westminster
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