 |
|
|
| David Watson of the Department for Transport
explains how parents can take heed of the government's message
and keep their children safe when walking or cycling |
 |
| "It's as important to
be visible
in mist, rain
and fog as it is
after dark" |
During the winter months, with poor light and the weather worsening,
it’s vital that children make themselves as visible as possible
when walking or cycling on the roads. Over 900 children were killed
or seriously injured on the UK’s roads in the winter months
of 2003, a reduction from the 1,101 killed or seriously injured in
2002. The government is attempting to reduce child death and injury
on the roads by 50% by 2010, compared to the 1994-1998 average. New
statistics show that we are well on the way to meeting this target
with the number of children killed or seriously injured in 2003 showing
a reduction of 40% against the baseline. Despite these casualty reductions,
the government’s THINK! road safety campaign is continuing to
remind youngsters and parents of the importance of wearing reflective
and fluorescent clothes when out after dark or in bad weather, when
drivers may not be able to see them as clearly.
The importance of reflective
clothing aids casualty reduction |
|
| "It's as important to
be visible in mist, rain and fog as it is after dark" |
For maximum visibility, fluorescent or bright clothing should be worn
in the daytime and reflective material should be worn at night. With
poor winter visibility, it can be just as important to ensure your
children have fluorescent gear during the day as it is to kit them
out with reflective items after dark. The Department for Transport
kicked off these messages with its annual Be Safe Be Seen week, which
ran from 25 to 31 October, supported by a wide range of activity conducted
by Road Safety Officers across the country. Launching the week, Road
Safety Minister, David Jamieson said: “The number of children
killed and seriously injured on our roads is falling every year, but
we do need to be extra careful in the winter months when driver visibility
is poor. It’s as important to be visible in mist, rain and fog
as it is after dark. “Be Safe Be Seen this year is about encouraging
parents to make sure their children have both fluorescent and reflective
clothing to ensure they can be seen whatever the conditions.
And, at the same time, drivers also need to take care and look out
for children. ”Before and after Be Safe Be Seen week, the THINK!
campaign aired adverts on TV and in cinemas, which featured the popular
road safety Hedgehog characters advising children on how to stay visible
in poorer weather. The adverts will be on TV again in the last three
weeks of December and the middle of February. Recent research indicated
that the Hedgehogs are still a big hit with 7-10-year-old children,
and a wide range of Hedgehog material, including brand new full size
Hedgehog “suits”, is available for road safety professionals
who want to use the characters in their work. Visibility is just as
important for children when cycling. It’s against the law to
cycle after dark without a white front light, a red back light and
a red reflector at the back, and parents should check to ensure their
child’s bike complies with the law and will help keep them safe.
Fluorescent jackets that have reflective strips across them also help
children to stay visible when out on their bikes in the day or in
the evening. The THINK! campaign has produced a wide range of reflective
and fluorescent materials for distribution by road safety professionals,
including stickers, tote bags, “tagos”, and bike reflectors.
These items are available, in limited numbers, from the THINK! website
at www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk
Visibility is vitally important for children, who are naturally less
visible than adults. As Professor Jimmie Thomson, child psychologist
from the University of Strathclyde, notes: “Often children don’t
have a well-developed road sense and can assume that drivers will
be able to see them when they’re walking or cycling because
they can see the vehicles. ”
For more information visit: www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk
Keeping children stay safe, whatever the
weather, includes:
Walking
- Always walk on the pavement or footpath, if there is
one, and as far away from the kerb as possible
- Where there is no pavement, walk on the right-hand side
of the road to face oncoming cars. Walk in single file around
bends in the road, at night, or if there is a lot of traffic
- Check carefully when crossing cycle lanes on the road.
Cyclists travel fast, and children can’t always hear
them
- It’s always safest to cross at a pedestrian crossing
– however, this isn’t always possible, so encourage
children to think about other safe places
- Check their understanding of what safe places are and
avoid crossing between parked cars
- Teaching children to plan and think about a journey beforehand
will help them cope with possible dangers
- Tell them that the shortest route may not always be the
safest one
- Remind them that drivers need time to stop
- Teach them to watch for indicator lights, which show
where a car is turning
Cycling
- Insist your child wears a safety helmet and bright, high-visibility
clothes so that drivers can see them
- Check their bike is safe and the right size
- Make sure your child learns to ride a bicycle in a safe
place and check they know how to control it
- Teach your child to ride on the left, but far enough
away from the edge of the road to avoid drains and gutters
- Remind them to look behind carefully before moving off
or turning right or left – and to use arm signals
- Encourage them to always ride in single file, and to
use cycle lanes wherever possible
- They must use lights if cycling at night – white
lights on the front of the bike and red on the rear
|
|
| |
|
