Main heading

Ref: 428/07       14 November 2007

Driving Home The Safety Message To School Run Parents

Cheshire’s Road Safety and School Travel Officers, local police and fire and rescue officers have been targeting schools across the county to drive home child pedestrian and cyclist safety messages.

In support of this year’s Road Safety Week -  5 - 11 November – which focused on Child Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety,  Cheshire County Council’s Road Safety Unit and School Travel Team, in partnership with Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and Cheshire Police, ran a special campaign to tackle problems of  inappropriate parking outside of schools and the non-wearing of seatbelts and child restraints.

The School Travel Team produced from each district, a list of the top five schools where staff had regularly received concerns from about these issues.

Key messages promoted were:

• No ifs, no buts…keep the zig zags clear
• Think before you park – are you causing a danger to others, especially children?
• All children under 135cm (4’ 5”) in height (or 12th birthday, whichever they reach first) MUST use  the correct child restraint
• If you don’t wear your seatbelt, your children will copy you and not wear theirs

Cheshire County Council Senior Road Safety Officer, Justine Hart said: ‘Schools across the county regularly express concerns about parents parking on the yellow keep clear markings, on the pavement, or in other unsuitable or dangerous places.

“Road Safety Week was an opportunity for us and our partners in the Cheshire Safer Roads Partnership to work together to remind parents to consider children’s safety ahead of their own convenience when choosing a parking place.’

ENDS

Note to Editors:

The schools targeted in each district were:

Ellesmere Port

• Whitby Heath Primary School
• Sutton Green Primary School
• St Saviour’s Primary School
• Rivacre Valley Primary School
• Childer Thornton Primary School

Chester

• Elton Primary School
• Hoole Primary School
• Newton Primary School
• Tattenhall Park Primary School
• Upton Heath Primary School

Vale Royal

• Tarporley High School

Macclesfield

• Bexton Primary School
• Hurdsfield Primary School
• St Albans Primary School
• Puss Bank Primary School
• Marlborough County Primary School
• Whirley Primary School

Photo Captions

Elton Photo - Campaigning in partnership outside Elton Primary School – County Council Senior School Travel Advisor, Angela Hewitt; County Council Senior Road Safety Officer, Justine Hart; one of the school’s Junior Road Safety Officers and fire crew from Green Watch at Ellesmere Port.

Tattenhall Photo  – Campaigning in partnership outside Tattenhall Park Primary School - County Council Senior School Travel Advisor, Angela Hewitt; County Council Senior Road Safety Officer, Justine Hart and local PCSO Tracey Shaw.