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Does
your primary school have the next Banksy or Hockney?
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Primary
schools across Kent and Medway have got the chance to prove
their artistic flare in a brand-new competition to spread vital
road safety messages across the county and around the UK. Kent
Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is backing a new project by road
safety charity Brake, which involves primary schools, with the
aim of keeping children safer.
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Brake’s
road safety poster competition, sponsored by Co-op Insurance,
is a fun, new project that aims to inspire and engage children,
aged 4-11, about the need for drivers to slow down so kids can
walk and cycle to school safely. The competition, backed by
KFRS and supported by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC)
and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), will see winning
designs from two age categories (4-7, and 7-11) turned into
professional banners that will go on display outside schools
or in the local community. Children can also win prizes worth
hundreds of pounds for themselves and their school. To help
emergency service professionals inspire pupils, Brake has produced
a series of free resources, including assembly and workshop
presentations that they can deliver to either the whole school
or a single class on a day of their choice. Children can then
create a poster about the dangers of adults speeding - something
that puts kids' lives at risk every single day.
The theme
of the competition coincides with the fourth UN Global Road
Safety Week (8-11 May), which focusses on speed and what can
be done to address this key risk factor for road traffic deaths
and injuries. Speed contributes to around one-third of road
deaths in high-income countries, and up to half in low- and
middle-income countries.
Schools
also have the opportunity to fundraise for Brake by holding
a Wear Your Stripes Day. Inspired by the charity’s mascot
Zak the Zebra, children and staff can dress in striped clothing
in exchange for money to the charity that supports bereaved
and seriously injured road crash victims.
The competition
can be run on a day of the school’s choice, but entries
need to be submitted to Brake by Friday 30 June 2017.
For more
information and to register your school visit www.brake.org.uk/postercomp
Dave Nichols,
community engagement manager for Brake, the road safety charity,
said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for schools, children
and parents to work together to help raise awareness about the
dangers of speeding in their local community. At Brake, we recognise
there is a significant need to help children deepen their knowledge
about road safety, and teachers want to deliver lessons that
they know will help. We’re sure our new resources and
competition will inspire the next generation to be both creative
and passionate about getting adults to protect all of us when
using roads. I would encourage any school that works with children
aged 4-11 to enter, and we look forward to seeing their designs.”
James
Hillon, Director of Products at Co-op Insurance said: “At
Co-op Insurance we want to support local communities in educating
people of all ages on the importance of road safety. If done
right, this could lead the way in improving road safety and
make UK roads safer for years to come. We're really happy to
be supporting Brake on such a worthwhile cause to get the message
out to primary school children.”
KFRS’
Director of Operations and National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC)
Road Safety Lead, Sean Bone-Knell said: “The National
Fire Chiefs Council is pleased to be working with children and
parents across the country to highlight the issues of speeding
and the impact this can have on people’s lives. Children
are our future; and if we can help them understand the basics
of road safety at an early age, we are hopeful this will help
them stay safe on and around our roads.”
Chief
Constable Anthony Bangham, National Police Chiefs’ Council
Lead for Roads Policing, said: “Speeding is a significant
factor in an unacceptable number of road collisions. Education
is absolutely critical to improving the way people drive and
so we are pleased to support this initiative. Parents and young
people themselves need to understand the risks associated with
excessive speeding. The earlier this conversation begins, the
safer our roads can be for future generations.”
About
Brake
Brake
is a national road safety and sustainable transport charity,
founded in 1995, that exists to stop the needless deaths, serious
injuries and pollution occurring on our roads every day. We
work to make streets and communities safer for everyone, and
care for families bereaved and injured in road crashes. Brake's
vision is a world where there are zero road deaths and injuries,
and people can get around in ways that are safe, sustainable,
healthy and fair. We do this by pushing for legislative change
through national campaigns, community education, services for
road safety professionals and employers, and by coordinating
the UK's flagship road safety event every November, Road Safety
Week. Brake is a national, government-funded provider of support
to families and individuals devastated by road death and serious
injury, including through a helpline and support packs.
Follow
Brake on Twitter, Facebook, or The Brake Blog.
Road crashes
are not accidents; they are devastating and preventable events,
not chance mishaps. Calling them accidents undermines work to
make roads safer, and can cause insult to families whose lives
have been torn apart by needless casualties.
About
Co-op Insurance
Co-op
Insurance is a UK-based general insurer that operates principally
within the personal lines segments of the motor and home insurance
markets. The Co op Insurance underwrites the majority of business
written, supplemented with some small lines of business where
The Co op Insurance acts as a distributor or has a 100% reinsurance
arrangement in place.
With more
than 1.18m customers, The Coop Insurance is committed to ‘Doing
the Right Thing’ and always strives to treat customers
and members fairly. The Co op Insurance pioneered the way in
lowering the insurance premiums of young drivers as the first
major insurer to launch a pay how you drive telematics insurance
product for young drivers in 2011. Since launching the scheme,
The Coop Insurance has saved its young drivers more than £7.2
million in their first year of driving.
About
NFCC
The National
Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) provides clear, professional leadership
while representing the wider sector on matters such as professional
standards, operational guidance, research and sharing best practice.
The NFCC also leads and delivers key national workstreams through
its Coordination Committees and aims to drive improvement and
development across UK Fire and Rescue Services, while supporting
strong leadership.
About
NPCC
The NPCC
brings police forces in the UK together to help policing coordinate
operations, reform, improve and provide value for money. Some
of the biggest threats to public safety are national and international.
We have a collective strength by coordinating the operational
response across forces. Crime is changing and so are citizens’
needs and expectations of policing. We’re constantly adapting
and reforming to keep people safe. Public confidence and support
is essential. We're always striving to improve the way we work
and learn from when things go wrong to build people's confidence
in us. It’s more important than ever that our service
is efficient and effective, providing best value for money.
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