Be Safe, Be Seen - Keep Children Safe on Our Roads

I have written before about how important road safety is to me, in fact as the evenings get darker it is imperative that we not only teach our children how to be careful on the roads, but to help make them safer too.

As the roads across the country have got busier and there are drivers distracted talking on phones or using gadgets. There seem to be less focus on road safety than there was when we had David Prowse teaching us the green cross code as Green Cross Code man.

But not all is lost, over the past 5 years Co-operative Funeralcare have given out over 160,000 yellow high visibility reflective pin-badges badges to 1,500 schools and youth groups. They also deliver school assemblies or lessons about road safety prepared by road safety charity Brake for children between the ages of 3 and 7 years.

This brilliant campaign drives home the importance of being safe on the roads, making sure children understand that road safety is a vital part of their daily lives, both now and in the future. I always try to set a good example when out and about, making sure to never cross on the red man.

To order some badges for your child's school or youth group then contact your local Co-operative Funeralcare branch.

NB: I am a member of the Netmums Blogging Network, a unique community of parent bloggers from around the UK who have been handpicked by the Netmums team to write about products and brands on their behalf. I may have been paid expenses but retain all editorial control. 

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The Green Cross Code

Do you remember the green cross code? I remember doing it at school, we even had competitions and I once went to a regional final at the Albert Hall in Nottingham in which I won a trophy. Whoop!

So why isn't it still taught and why does the government put so little into the funding of road safety for children? Outside my sons school there is no lollipop person, fortunately there is a zebra crossing. I still always go through the Green Cross Code with my son but it would seem that so many people both young and old have no idea how to cross the road.

For some unknown reason people seem to think that they are invincible, I guess the blame game allows people to put the onus onto the driver, but at the end of the day drivers are only human too and can't always stop and if you are dead then it's not really much good.

Should we bring it back in to schools and on the telly the way it was taught back in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s?

Do you remember SPLINK?

(Find a) Safe (place to cross)
(Stand on the) Pavement
Look (for traffic)
If (traffic is coming, let it pass)
(When there is) No (traffic near, walk across the road)
Keep (looking and listening for traffic as you cross).

Whilst I will continue to teach my son about road safety I can only hope other parents do, although I am sure the ones who send their children to school with cold chips have more important things on their mind.

We are so complacent that it will be fine, the figures have dropped but what about new generations? Will they learn, if so who from?

I leave you with this fabulous video starring David Prowse from the late 70s, bring back The Green Cross Code Man.