Metro Mayor, Dan Norris has been helping to mark Road Safety Week with a visit to Freshford where preschoolers saw their local village hall transformed into a busy road as they set out to learn to “stop, look and listen.”
The transformed hall included traffic lights, makeshift pavements, zebra and pelican crossings so that the pupils could practice crossing safely.
After learning safety tips, the children had invited Mr Norris to hear them belt out their specially composed road safety song.
Dan Norris, West of England Metro Mayor, said: “I want to encourage as many people to walk and cycle which is why road safety is so important and there is no better time to start than when you’re young. Road Safety Week, which falls just after the clocks change and the nights draw in, is an important time to think about how we can all use roads safely to protect ourselves and each other. Let’s help make roads and pavements in the West of England safer for our young people, and for everyone!”.
Mary Williams OBE, chief executive of road safety charity Brake, said: “We all use roads and it’s crucial that we feel safe when we do so, whether we walk, ride or drive. Yet, every year, a staggering number of people are killed or seriously injured on UK roads. That’s why Road Safety Week is such an important campaign – bringing families, schools, and communities together to take action and raise awareness. Activities like this are a fantastic way of educating ourselves and others about our shared responsibility”.
Debbie Giles, Freshford Pre-school Headteacher, added: “We at Freshford preschool utilise our beautiful outdoor surroundings each week and so it is so important that our preschoolers have a strong understanding of how to keep safe around roads. Practicing these life skills in fun, meaningful ways really promotes road safety and ensures our preschoolers can adhere to the measures in place to make sure they are safe and can enjoy the outdoors”.
Mayor Norris has written to all Bath and NE Somerset schools to urge them to sign up to teach the West’s youngsters – and their parents – life-saving road safety messages.
Road Safety Week is the biggest annual road safety campaign. Every year, thousands of schools, organisations and communities get involved to shout out for the right to make safe journeys every day. For more information on how your school could get involved in the future, please visit: https://www.brake.org.uk/road-safety-week
