Nationwide sends Cats' Eyes reflectors to UK schools
Of those most at risk, child pedestrians are perhaps one of the more vulnerable groups of road users, with many still learning road awareness skills as they walk to and from school on an almost daily basis. To help combat this serious issue, and for the eighth year running, Nationwide Building Society has this week distributed close to one million Cats' Eyes reflectors to schools across the UK.
By taking the simple step of wearing a reflector, children can help to increase their visibility to motorists by up to five times and reduce their chances of being involved in a road accident when travelling in dark conditions.
Road awareness facts
Pedestrians and cyclists are among the most vulnerable road users, with a higher rate of fatality per distance travelled than for any other mode of transport except for motorcyclists.
Child pedestrians are most at risk from 3pm until 7pm, especially during the weeks after the end of British Summer Time.
A child pedestrian wearing a reflector is visible from 150 metres with low beam headlights, compared to only 30 metres without one.
The reflectors, which can be attached to a school bag or coat, will be handed out to all Year One primary school children with the aim of reducing the number of casualties even further and promoting good road sense amongst children from an early age.
Caroline Hallatt, Nationwide's head of corporate responsibility, said: "With the clocks going back marking the return of long winter nights, children face greater risks on our roads over the coming months. Evidence shows that Cats' Eyes really do make a significant difference when worn in dark conditions and we urge parents and teachers to encourage children to wear the reflector and increase their visibility to motorists.
"Over the course of eight years Nationwide has distributed more than 13 million reflectors throughout the UK and, with the help of the Nationwide Education road safety programme, has really worked to emphasise the importance of travelling safely."
Nationwide has further promoted road safety through its free online educational website, Nationwide Education (NationwideEducation.co.uk). The website - designed and developed by corporate social responsibility consultants, dbda - aims to help increase awareness and understanding of the importance of road safety for children aged between 4 and 11 years. All resources are linked to the National Curricula and the website includes separate sections for teachers, parents and pupils.
Dawn Boyfield MBE, dbda's managing director, said: "Road crashes are one of the biggest causes of death and injury of children in the UK. Although there have been reductions in child casualties overall, the danger to young pedestrians increases dramatically in the winter months as daylight hours decrease and visibility is reduced by a third. In the month of October last year, there were 860 child pedestrian casualties, a dramatic increase of 60% compared to the month of August. Nationwide's Cats' Eyes reflectors, together with the 'Be Safe, Be Seen' and 'Safer Travel' road safety programmes on Nationwide Education, play a key role in helping young children stay safe on our roads."