BY RAMSEYS OF AYCLIFFE
With most children returning to school in County Durham, September can be prove to be an expensive month for parents. New uniforms, bags, coats and shoes are usually top of the list of expenditure.
Changing schools can also provide another set of challenges. Peer pressure often means children wish to walk or cycle home from school on their own. Even those children yet to make the leap from primary school to secondary school, often ask to make their own way home during the final year of school.
It’s estimated around 600,000 children will swap primary school to secondary school during September 2012. Of that number 550 will lose their lives on the roads this year alone. Changing school can be a significant factor in this number. A recent report estimates that children between the age of 5 and 14 are five times more likely to die in a road related accident than by assault.
The change of journey, after school clubs and even new friends, can provide distractions for our children. One way we can help, is to practice the school route together. Look out for danger spots and where the safest places are to cross the road. Obstacles such as trees, gaps between parked cars can be invisible to our children and also make our children invisible to us the motorist.
As drivers we too can do our bit to make the journey to and from school safer. Be aware of peek hours when using your car. Early morning in particular can be a time when many of us are tired and slower to react. Always stay within the speed limit and expect the unexpected when driving through the school rush hour.
To help parents educate their children and establish safer road drill the IAM Motoring Trust has published a safety guide which highlights dangers specific to different age groups and advice on how to address them.
