With some schools returning this week and the start of a new academic year, parents across Warwickshire are being encouraged to help children learn the Warwickshire Road Safety Club Code.
The plea comes following a survey, commissioned for Injury Prevention Week which revealed that two-thirds of parents do not think their children understand road dangers or concentrate properly when near or crossing roads. The survey also found that one in eight parents were ‘very concerned’ about their children’s safety around roads.
The Warwickshire Road Safety Club, established by Warwickshire County Council, has been running in schools across the county for a number of years, ensuring that Warwickshire’s children understand the dangers of roads and how they can interact with them safely. The Club runs across key stages 1 and 2 with a separate, age-appropriate scheme, being offered to nurseries and pre-schools.
The Warwickshire Road Safety Club Codes is a series of easy to remember rules that ask children to:
- Think about roads
- Stop before the kerb
- Look and listen carefully for traffic
- Think about what to do before crossing; and
- Cross the road safely
A short video has been created here to help children and parents remember: Click here.
Cllr Jeff Clarke, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder – Transport & Planning says: “Road Safety Education is a skill for life and embedding safe practice should begin as soon as children start to walk and be built upon, steadily, throughout their education.
“The next few weeks will see our children and young people returning to schools after, what will have been for many, a prolonged absence. We hope many of these young people will be choosing to enjoy the benefits of walking and cycling to School and, for parents, there is no better time than the present to ensure their children are familiar with concepts of road safety and the Warwickshire Road Safety Club Code.”
In October, Warwickshire County Council will be launching the SAfER (Sustainable and Active for Environment and Road Safety) programme, which aims to encourage behaviour change and a move away from the use of cars and public transport to a greater use of walking and cycling for shorter journeys.
More information about road safety in Warwickshire is available on the Warwickshire Website: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roadsafety.
