30/09/03 - Making sure kids get to school safely

Parents are being encouraged to help make journeys to school safer and healthier for young children as part of Walk to School Week 2003.

Twenty-four primary schools are taking part in the week, which runs from Monday 6thOctober to Friday 10thOctober.  Bridget Stanley, Area Road Safety Officer, will be working with children from Allonby Primary School, on Monday 6thOctober from 1.30pm – 2.00pm,  and pupils from St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Whitehaven on Tuesday 7thOctober from 10.00am – 10.30am using the mobile street scene and Brake Reaction tester to teach vital pedestrian skills.  

The week is a follow-up to Walk To School campaigns that road safety officers have run in Cumbria since 1998 to encourage parents to walk their children to school throughout the infant school years. The idea behind the campaign is to give the children both practical lessons in road safety and healthy exercise at the same time.  The campaign is in line with the Government’s aim to make Britain’s roads safer for everyone and reduce child casualti4es of traffic collisions by 50% by 2010.  The Better Ways To School programme was introduced to Cumbria last year to achieve that aim.  Pedestrian skills training for children is vital to making the journey to school safer and the success of the Better Ways to School programme.

County Councillor Joan Stocker, Cabinet Spokesperson for Education, says,

“Britain has one of the worst records for child pedestrian casualties in Europe.  Cumbria has an average of 136 child pedestrians injured in collisions every year and the County Council wants to see that figure reduced. Walk to School Week gives parents an ideal opportunity to teach their children essential pedestrian skills at an early age.

It also has a number of other benefits, such as regular healthy exercise.  For children it increases confidence, stamina and energy; for parents it reduces the risk of heart disease, strokes and high blood pressure. Social relationships between parents and children may also be improved by having time to talk while walking and parents of older children at the school may be encouraged to walk them to school with the same benefits.  It is also expected that traffic on routes to school at the beginning and end of the school day will be reduced and that parking problems outside school will be alleviated.”   

Capita Road Safety Officers are providing road safety advice and resources to participating schools.

School Nurses and Health Visitors are offering advice on the health benefits of walking children to school to families of children who started nursery and reception classes in September 2003.  School staff are supporting the project with road safety teaching sessions.

The campaign is in partnership between Capita Road Safety Officers, School Nurses and Health Visitors and 24 primary schools across the County.