Children’s road safety education
Pedestrian Skills Training
Child pedestrian training aims to prepare children with the skills and knowledge for safe independent journeys and how to cross the road safety. The training is offered to children in Year 4 (8 & 9 year olds). This roadside based practical training uses the roads near the school to identify dangers children may encounter on their school journey.
Junior Roadwatch
Junior Roadwatch is a joint initiative between the council’s Road Safety team and the Metropolitan Police. It involves working with small groups of school children to educate motorists on the dangers of speeding near the school.
Police officers use a speed gun to detect motorists travelling at excess speeds. Once a motorist is pulled over, officers run checks where they will decide if they are suitable for the educational road safety talk with the children. During the talk the children will ask the motorist a set of questions about the offence and whether the experience has changed their view about road safety. Some of the questions include ‘‘Were you wearing a seatbelt?’ or ‘Could you tell me what you thought the speed limit was?’.
Theatre in Education
Theatre in Education (TIE) is a type of road safety intervention that enables children to become more aware of the risks and consequences of their behaviour through an educational and fun drama performance. TIE is usually offered to both Year 6 and Year 7 students, as they transition from primary to secondary school.
Safe Drive Stay Alive
Safe Drive, Stay Alive is a live road safety production jointly run by Hounslow and Ealing Council targeting Year 12 students as they become young drivers. The performance shows a combination of film footage featuring road accidents, and speakers from the emergency services (London Fire Brigade, Metropolitan Police and Ambulance Services) in a bid to shock young people into taking more care when getting behind the wheel.
Although young people make up a small proportion of drivers in the UK (7%), they are over-represented in accidents (20%). Safe Drive Stay Alive reinforces the importance of wearing a seat belt, keeping to the speed limit, and not getting distracted while driving.
Walk to School Week
Walk to School Week is a yearly event held in May and run by the national walking charity Living Streets.
The 5-day walking challenge aims to encourage pupils to actively travel to school by foot or bike. In Hounslow, 31 infant and primary schools took part in Walk to School Week 2020.
Children receive an activity diary where they can record how they travelled to school. Small prizes are awarded at the end of the week, and there is also the opportunity to take part in a road safety calendar competition. The winning entries are used to make a calendar, which is sent out to all schools in the borough.
Many schools hold extra road safety assemblies with a visit from Hounslow’s Walk to School mascot, Debra the Zebra.
