Family workers urged to access free training in time for Road Safety Week

Brake, the national road safety charity, will be highlighting the dangers faced by children on the roads through its national Road Safety Week 2007 (5 – 11 November), with this year’s theme of child pedestrian and cyclist safety.

In advance of the week Brake is calling upon Sure Start workers, child minders and other professionals who work with families to attend free training to learn how to teach road safety to families and help save children's lives.

The UK has the joint fourth worst child pedestrian death rate (per population) in Western Europe – seven times higher than Finland’s and three-and-a-half times higher than Holland and Italy.

The “Stay Safe” Family Road Safety module is a part of the FedEx & Brake Road Safety Academy, launched in September 2004. The Academy targets the most at-risk road users by training volunteers and professionals to spread road safety education in their local community and help save lives. The Academy is co-ordinated by Brake and funded by express delivery company FedEx.

To date, the Academy has trained 180 volunteers and professionals (known as graduates) in the Stay Safe module, who have delivered presentations reaching more than 4,000 parents. Attending the free training will enable graduates to talk to parents about the risks faced by children on the roads and provide advice on safe driving. Topics covered include:

the dangers of not restraining children properly and practical advice on belting up and using child restraints

advice on safe driving, including the importance of not driving when tired, stressed or distracted and slowing down around schools and homes

ensuring children walk and cycle safely to school, including crossing roads safely and choosing safe routes and making sure children wear bright reflective clothing

Sign up now by contacting Annabelle Rose on 01484 559939/ 01484 559909 or arose@brake.org.uk. In-house training can be arranged.

Julie Crowson, training and development manager, Lincolnshire branch of the National Child Minding Association and Stay Safe graduate October 2006 says: “The Stay Safe module is a really effective way to learn how best to communicate the road safety message to families; I would thoroughly recommend it. Road safety education is extremely important to the child minders that I work with as they take the children to school on a day to day basis and need to be aware of the dangers they and the children face as road users.”

Jools Townsend, head of education at Brake says: “It is so important to educate parents about dangers faced by children on the roads. By educating parents face-to-face through the FedEx and Brake Road Safety Academy, we can really get the message across that simple road safety messages DO save lives. Please get in touch if you would like to get involved and help save lives.”

Schools, professionals and concerned individuals can find out more about getting involved in the Academy and helping to save lives by simply calling Brake on 01484 559909, emailing academy@brake.org.uk or visiting Brake’s website brake.org.uk and click on ‘FedEx and Brake Academy’.