Take care crossing roads, urge pupils
PRIMARY school pupils are calling for better road safety as peak collision season hits Teesside.
Pupils at Linthorpe Community Primary School in Middlesbrough have shared their road safety videos for the public as part of Road Safety GB North East’s summer campaign. Road casualties are more prominent during summer, especially those involving children.
The children are imploring drivers to slow down and be aware, to put phones away and watch for people stepping out. They have also asked youngsters to take extra care around roads, urging them to stop, look, listen, and think before stepping out.
Data from RSGB NE shows that Middlesbrough has the highest rate of child casualties in the region, with 65.43 cases for every 10,000 children.
Older children are thought to be more at risk due to a number of factors, including when they are distracted by friends, concentrating on their phones or just simply stepping out without looking.
Paul Fussey, the personal, social, health and economic lead at the primary school, said: “Pedestrian safety is important to us at Linthorpe Community Primary School because the safety and wellbeing of our pupils and staff are at the heart of all we do. Our pupils have some strong feelings and intelligent thoughts on road safety, so we were proud of them for sharing them and hope they help to reduce casualty figures on the roads.”
Peter Slater, Chair of RSGB NE, said: “The majority of collisions occur because either the child or the adult is not looking properly.”