THINK! Launch Education Suite

The THINK! campaign has launched THINK! Education, a new programme for young people aged from three to16 years, and teachers and parents.

The new resources aim to raise awareness of road safety among young people, and reduce the number of children killed and injured on the roads.

Resources for those aged three to five years and seven to 11 years are available now, with resources for 11–16s available in autumn 2009 and for those aged five to seven years in spring 2010.
The teachers’ area contains a guide to help senior managers plan and deliver road safety education along with teachers’ notes, curriculum links and lesson ideas.

The pupils’ area includes interactive games, video clips, posters, activity sheets and sound effects.
The parents’ area contains activity ideas and information about how parents can set a good example and teach their child good road safety skills, along with ‘home-link’ sheets for parents to complete with their children, reinforcing the messages of the classroom activities.

The resources are designed to be used flexibly. Teachers can mix and match ideas to suit their class and a variety of formats and activities are provided to suit different learning styles. The interactive resources can be used on a whiteboard or suite of computers.

The style reflects the Tales of the Road advertising campaign.

All the resources are free and available online at: www.dft.gov.uk/think/education.

The Launch of Road Safety GB

From 30 April 2009, the Local Authority Road Safety Officers’ Association (LARSOA) will re-launch itself as Road Safety GB in an effort to reach out to every individual across the UK.

Alan Kennedy, Road Safety Section Manager at Durham County Council, has taken over as Chairman of the newly re-named group and said it wished to broaden its sphere of influence and become a familiar name to families everywhere.

Mr Kennedy said the organisation, which represents local authority road safety teams across the UK, believed that if the number of road deaths and injuries was to significantly fall, everyone, from young children to pensioners, had to play their part.

In 2007, there were 2,946 people killed on Britain’s roads and 27,774 seriously injured. Of those deaths, 3,090 were children, of which 1,899 were on foot at the time, 646 were adult pedestrians, 136 were pedal cyclists and 588 were motorcyclists.
 
“At some time in our lives, virtually all of us will be affected by the fall-out from a road crash,” said Mr Kennedy.

“Even if we are not involved ourselves, we will know people – friends, family or work colleagues – who are injured or die as a result of a crash.

“Making our roads safer is a challenge for all of us – not just road safety professionals. We are all in this together. While LARSOA has served us reasonably well, it’s a clumsy name that is hard to pronounce and remember. It’s well known within road safety circles, but almost unknown outside the profession.

“Our re-brand is much more than a change of name. It signifies our intention to go out and engage with everyone.”

Road Safety GB will be campaigning on four key issues, namely:

•    Driver behaviour, particularly young motorists
•    Impairment through drink and drug driving
•    Motorcyclists
•    Vulnerable road-users, such as cyclists, pedestrians and the elderly

For more information visit the new website www.roadsafetygb.org.uk

Healthy Start for Pupils

Redcar & Cleveland’s sustainable transport team has encouraged children from across the borough to make a healthy start to the day by cycling to school.

The team circulated hundreds of posters and tickets to primary and secondary schools in advance of Bike To School Week (20-24 April).

Kevin Aherne, head teacher at Ings Farm Primary School, encouraged pupils to take up the challenge by rewarding those who cycled with a healthy breakfast.

He said: "Bike to School Week is a superb opportunity to highlight cycling as a viable alternative to the car. It promotes healthier lifestyles and reduces traffic congestion."

Each time a child cycled to school they received a ticket from their teacher for a free draw, with the top prize of a new bike and runners-up prizes of lights.

For further information contact Mike Hall.