"Lesson for life - developing life skills through education"
The Road Safety team carries out a programme of education, training and publicity work. This is to:
- promote safe road use
- give safety advice to road users
- develop safe attitudes and behaviour.
The work seeks to reduce casualties on the road. This is through constant and carefully targeted programmes, schemes and campaigns.
The Road Traffic Act 1988 states in section 39 (2): "Each local authority must prepare and carry out a programme of measures designed to promote road safety…"
Section 39 (3): "and must take such measures as appear to the authority to be appropriate to prevent such accidents, including dissemination of information and advice relating to the use of roads, the giving of practical training to road users or any class or description of road user."
The Government has a road safety strategy called ‘Tomorrows roads - safer for everyone’. It provides casualty reduction targets. It also has a framework of 10 main themes for improving road safety. Within the strategy, space is given to road safety education for children and for the need to increase awareness of the dangers of the roads.
The work of the Road Safety team also ties in with the council's priorities, the service development plan and the group service plan.
Targets
The casualty reduction targets to be achieved by 2010 are:
- A 40 per cent reduction in the number of people killed and; seriously injured in road accidents.
- A 50 per cent reduction in the number of children killed and seriously injured
- A 10 per cent reduction in the slight casualty rate, expressed as the number of people slightly injured per 100 million vehicle kilometres.
These targets are based on the average for 1994 to 1998.
Local performance targets will be set each year.
Education
Many see road safety education as a life-long learning process. This consists of the development of skills, understanding and safe attitudes. The broad aims within the school system support the aims of the national curriculum.
Pre-school work is based on the ‘partnership with parents’ theme. Its aim is to stimulate an awareness of the dangers of the road and traffic. Parents also become aware of their own role in their child's road safety education and the limitations that young children have when dealing with the road.
Schools work road safety into their short, medium and long-term plans. This allows a progressive, structured and ongoing approach that works within the national curriculum. It also provides flexibility for schools to organise delivery and add to the curriculum to suit the needs of their pupils. The successful approach of ‘partnership with parents’ in the pre-school area will extend into the primary school area.
A pyramid system is also under development. This will help link the work between a secondary school and its primary feeder schools. It will give a common experience to pupils moving into Key Stage 3.
Older teenagers tend to feature a lot in accident statistics. The development of a pre-driver course for this group is an important opportunity to start shaping their driving attitudes.
Training
Effective practical training is an important part of learning new skills. The courses run for young pedestrians and young cyclists reflect this. These two key areas provide a programme that builds on existing knowledge and understanding. It also reinforces learning experiences.
The planning and structure of the scheme supports a wide range of fundamental educational objectives. It encourages schools to be proactive about road accidents. The scheme is organised to provide opportunities for the school and road safety team to involve parents. The aim is to get them to take an active part in the practical training of their child and in the wider scope of the life of the school, and therefore the community.
Pedestrian skills training
The pedestrian skills training is carried out in the first two years of key stage 2. It is designed to provide a good, basic structure. It also seeks to provide a realistic approach in preparing children to cope with everyday crossing situations on the road.
The course consists of two one hour sessions. Small groups of supervised children use public roads close to their school to practice the strategies needed to cross the road. Codes of practice, risk assessments and course monitoring are used to ensure safety and high standards are maintained during the training.
Classroom work completed before the training covers the Green X Code and other important issues that will help children stay safer when out walking. Parents are reminded that completing this training does not mean their children are safe to use the road without close supervision.
Cycling training
Children are taught cycling skills in the last two years of key stage 2. The course provides children with the basic skills necessary for using a cycle on the road. In North Lincolnshire, all primary and junior schools can take up cycling training and nearly all do. The aim is to develop children's manoeuvrability skills and the observation skills needed to ride safely on the road. The training is carried out on public roads. It involves around six one-hour lessons. These are carried out over a period of approximately six weeks. A lot of emphasis is placed on where and when to look to make sure it is safe to carry out a manoeuvre. Positioning, signalling and hazard awareness is also covered. Codes of practice, risk assessments and course monitoring are all used to ensure the safety of those on the course. The standards of training are kept as high as possible. Parents are reminded that they should make sure their children are safe and confident on the road before allowing them to ride on their own.
Classroom work carried out before the practical training prepares children for using the road. It covers the rules of the road using ‘Arrive Alive’, which is a highway code for young road users. Other areas covered include:
- the importance of using high visibility clothing
- lighting
- cycle maintenance
- wearing a cycle helmet.
To find out if your child's school carries out cycling training please contact:
- the school
- the road safety team on 01724 297454 / 297062.
Advice and information on cycling and cycling training is also available to parents and others.
Both schemes use volunteer instructors to carry out the training. The instructors are trained, supervised and monitored by the Road Safety Team.
The following Driving Standards Agency approved companies provide CBT for motorcycles and mopeds in and around North Lincolnshire:
Each company will have a different approach and prices will vary.
Airfield Motorcycle Training School
Cleethorpes
01472 355788
CY School of Motor Cycling
for Lincoln/Gainsborough
01526 353268
Fast-Track
Scunthorpe
01724 347244
G P Training Centre
Scunthorpe
01724 874299
Max Pyett MTS Ltd
Grimsby
Contact: Paul Turrel, 01472 877458
Ride Right
Scunthorpe
01724 849641
S. Humberside BMF Rider Training
Grimsby
01472 358717