Secondary school teachers are being encouraged to inspire and support young people to run 2young2die campaigns during Road Safety Week (19-25 November), the UK’s flagship road safety event coordinated by the charity Brake. It’s a chance to get teenagers actively engaged with road safety, highlighting the dangers of risky behaviour and importance of safe walking and cycling, using free resources and as part of a UK-wide initiative.
Brake’s theme for Road Safety Week 2012 is ‘Slower speeds = happy people’. Brake will be promoting the importance of making it safer for everyone to walk and cycle, without fear from fast traffic, for health and enjoyment. Brake will be calling for local authorities to make our roads safer and appealing to drivers to slow down to 20mph in communities. Secondary schools can tie in with this theme by helping young people develop their own slow down campaigns, or focus on any other road safety topic.
Road Safety Week is about thousands of schools, communities and organisations taking action on road safety, and there are lots of simple ways to get involved. Anyone can register now to get a free e-action pack with resources, guidance and ideas at roadsafetyweek.org.uk.
Brake is particularly calling on secondary schools to coordinate:
- Young person-led road safety campaigns, particularly focusing on the importance of slowing down to protect people on foot and bike, which can be entered into Brake’s national 2young2die awards, sponsored by ikube ®.
- Bright Days: a dress down day with a difference that promotes the importance of drivers looking out for people on foot and bicycle, and the ‘be bright be seen’ message; a national initiative by Brake and Autoglass ®. Bright Day organisers get a free pack of resources.
Both activities enable schools to raise awareness and funds to support Brake’s work campaigning for safer roads and supporting bereaved and injured crash victims.
Brake deputy chief executive Julie Townsend says: “Road Safety Week is a great chance for schools to engage young people in road safety, to help them understand how they can keep themselves and others safe, and raise awareness in the wider community – and our 2young2diea nd Bright Days initiatives are brilliant ways to get involved. Road crashes are the biggest killer of young people, and road danger is a major barrier to children and young people being able to live active lifestyles. So this is a critical issue for schools to tackle, to help prevent needless casualties and make streets safer for walking and cycling.
“During Road Safety Week, Brake will be appealing to drivers to slow down to 20mph in communities and look out for people on foot and bicycle. We’re calling on schools everywhere to join this vital campaign: register now on the Road Safety Week website to get free resources and inspiration.”
Autoglass® managing director Matthew Mycock says: “It is paramount that children learn road safety guidelines from a young age to help to keep them safe. That is why we firmly support Brake’s Road Safety Week initiative. The dedicated week provides a great platform to help get schools involved and ensure the dangers posed by irresponsible driving as well as from poorly informed children are given firm focus so improvements can be made.
As part of the initiative, we are proud to continue our support for Bright Days, which provide a fun way for schools to send a serious road safety message to children in keeping themselves visible to drivers especially during the darker winter nights.”
Go to www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk then educators for more ideas and to register. Or sign up for a Bright Day on 01484 559909 or [email protected].
Brake
Brake is an independent road safety charity. Brake exists to stop the five deaths and 66 serious injuries that happen on UK roads every day and to care for families bereaved and seriously injured in road crashes. Brake runs awareness-raising campaigns, community education programmes, events such as Road Safety Week (19-25 November 2012), and a Fleet Safety Forum, providing advice to companies. Brake’s support division cares for road crash victims through a helpline and other services.
Road crashes are not accidents; they are man-made, preventable, violent events that devastate lives. Brake does not use the term accidents because it undermines work to reduce road risk and causes insult to families whose lives have been torn apart by road death or injury.
Autoglass Autoglass® is the UK’s leading vehicle glass repair and replacement service, with 101 branches nationwide and 1,300 mobile service units. For details of your nearest centre call 0800 36 36 36 or visit Autoglass.co.uk.
Ikube iKube is an insurance product offered through Motaquote in conjunction with a number of insurance providers.
Established in 1991, Motaquote specialisesin a wide range of personal and commercial lines insurance. Headquartered in Williamstown, South Wales it is part of nationwide group, Cullum Capital Ventures (CCV). Cullum Capital Ventures (CCV), part of the Towergate Group, is one of the UK’s largest independently owned insurance intermediaries with more than 800 staff. Headquartered in Maidstone, it offers a wide range of general insurance products nationwide. For regional brokers looking to sell their business, CCV can provide flexible full or partial ownership solutions. Businesses can continue to trade under their own brand, while CCV is committed to providing full support across all management functions.
