Road safety education
Road safety education
Be bright & be seen
What we wear can help us stay safe on or near the road. Drivers notice bright, fluorescent and reflective material more than darker colours. This information is important for everyone, but it is especially important for the more vulnerable road users; children, pedestrians and riders. The general guide is:
- Bright coloured clothing or fluorescent colours help us been seen better during the day by drivers.
- Reflective materials in clothing or equipment help us to been seen at night.
Northumberland County Council's road safety team are supporting the Department for Transport’s THINK! road safety campaign Be Bright Be Seen. Making sure that children are easily seen by drivers is important all year round but especially when evenings are darker.
Click here for more top tips from the Be Bright Be Seen campaign.
What can Schools do?
- Hold a Dress as bright as possible day
- Share information with parents about bright and reflective coats, when sharing uniform details.
- Share the leaflet Be Bright Be Seen or play the Be Bright Be Seen game.
- If providing school bags, choose bright colours with reflective material on them.
What can Parents do?
- When buying new outer garments aim for these to have brighter colours or reflective material on them. Only a small section is needed.
- Play the Be Bright Be Seen game with your children.
- Read the leaflet Be Bright Be Seen for more tips.
What can Drivers and Riders do?
Look out for children and drive slowly near them, especially in places where children and more likely to be found.
Downloads and links
Think! Tales of the Road Interactive Road Safety page
View the 5 top tips on how to be bright be seen here.
Road Safety GB North East Group
The Road Safety GB North East group is made up of the 12 local highway authorities in the region, including Northumberland, three regional police forces and four fire and rescue teams. It works closely with other emergency services and is supported by Highways England.
The group’s aim is to reduce road casualties through education, training and publicity campaigns, and to pool resources, skills and knowledge to provide a wider perspective on road safety issues.
The Road Safety GB North East Group’s ‘Look Out For Each Other’ campaign won Gold at the CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) North East awards, in conjunction with PR and marketing agency DTW.
Judges said that the campaign: “Integrates a series of well-thought through mini campaigns using hard-hitting messages and imaginative approaches. It achieved very high reach, affecting public behaviour and positioning REGB NE as road safety’s leading voice in the region. It achieved its impact by using trends to target the most vulnerable road-user groups.”
Cycle training for children
Every child in Northumberland is eligible for cycle tuition through the Bikeability scheme administered by the Bikeability Trust. Information on the range of courses available.
Northumberland County Council have engaged The Cycle Partnership to deliver the range of Bikeability courses to all schools in the County. Details about the Cycle Partnership can be found here.
Tips for families cycling together.
Child pedestrian education
Northumberland County Council work closely with schools, family hubs and public health to provide information, advice and training on road safety for all ages. We support and follow the guidance provided by the Highway Code and the governments Think! Website. We promote ‘Stop, Look, Listen and Think’, and help provide road safety information or resources for:
- Living Streets walk to school month (October) and walk to school week (May).
- Brake, the road safety charity, Road Safety Week (November).
- Brake, the road safety charity, Beep Beep Days for children aged 2 to 7.
What can Schools do?
Providing road safety education is vital in helping to safeguard our children on the way to and from school. Schools can deliver one off road safety activities or day events and deliver road safety education through core curriculum subjects.
Road Safety GB North East data shows that over 2600 children in the North East have been injured or killed on our roads in the recent 5 year period. Children benefit from training and reminders of how to be safe when crossing the road.
Schools can find out more about road safety, the council road safety brochure and further resources and links on the Road Safety section of the Education Website or Think! website. Some of the education and support that Northumberland County Council provides are:
- Year 1 First Steps training: inhouse education and practical workshop
- Year 3 Be Bright Be Seen workshop
- Assemblies
- Support for School Road Safety days and events
- Northumberland County Council also provides training in a safe film set style environment at SafetyWorks in Newcastle, that schools and youth groups can book through safetyworks@twfire.gov.uk.
- Teaching road safety skills to children with additional needs
- Northumberland Road Safety padlet full of teaching and assembly ideas for classes
What can Parents do?
Setting a good example and teaching your children how to be safe on or near the road is an important skill, especially the ‘Stop, Look, Listen, Think’ message. There are many resources available that can help:
- Northumberland Road Safety Padlet full of good ideas and activities to help your children learn
- ROSPA Parent Road Safety guide
- Think! website
- Teaching road safety skills to children with additional needs
What can drivers and riders do?
Drivers and riders can be incredibly helpful in keeping children safe in our community. Some of the things that they can do are:
- Park away from schools at drop off and pick up times.
- Park with care and be respectful of residents and local businesses.
- Keep within the speed limit.
- Slow down near children.
- The Highway Code - Guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Drivers and Riders
Keep up to date with the changes to the Highway Code and laws here.
Useful Links for New Drivers and Riders
Tips for new drivers and riders.
Tips for the parents of new drivers.
Free practice theory and hazard perception tests.
Free Biker Down course run by Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service
Useful car seat safety links
In car child safety - Safety Seats, Boosters, Law and advice (goodeggcarsafety.com)
Older Road Users
Further road safety information
- Road Safety Great Britain
- Good Egg Safety Guides
- Think website
- Bikeability
- Winter Driving Advice
- Traffic updates
- ROSPA Advanced Drivers & Riders | NorthEast (roadar-northeast.org.uk)
- Sustainable Transport | The Big Northumberland Gear Change
- Help your children learn road safety ideas
- New motorcycle rider improve your skills website