WIREDGOV

Children are being urged to ‘Be Bright, Be Seen’ this winter in a THINK! road safety campaign launched today ahead of the clocks going back an hour this Sunday (October 25).

In 2008, 712 children aged six to11 were killed or seriously injured while walking in Great Britain while 155 children of the same age were killed or seriously injured while cycling.

Road Safety Minister, Paul Clark said:

"Britain's roads are among the safest in the world and we have reduced the number of children killed while walking or cycling by 54% since the mid-1990s. However, more than 850 child pedestrians and cyclists were killed or seriously injured on our roads last year and we are determined to do more to keep children as safe as possible.

"Our 'Be Bright, Be Seen' television adverts remind children that they should wear reflective clothing if they going out after dark. At the same time, drivers also need to take extra care and look out for children."

The Department for Transport's THINK! road safety campaign will be running its 'Girl who didn't Dress Bright in the Dark' advertisement in cinemas from today. (Friday October 23). It will be aired on television and online from Monday (October 26). 'The Boy Who Didn’t Find a Safe Place to Cross' advert will run online.

Both are part of the ‘Tales of the Road’ child road safety campaign that was launched last year. It is designed to illustrate the different stages of the Green Cross Code: finding a safe place to cross; stop, look and listen, be visible to cars, as well as cycle safety.

The adverts are a bold departure from previous campaigns using lifelike characters to show the consequences of different road safety behaviour. The campaign is aimed at children aged six to 11 and was devised following extensive research with parents and children which showed that children today demand a more forthright approach to road safety messages.

THINK! offers the following tips for parents to help keep children safe and visible on the roads:

Be Bright, Be Seen - Road Safety Advice

· Brightly coloured or fluorescent clothing show up well in daylight and at dusk

· If you’re out by the roads when it’s dark, wear reflective gear to make sure you can be seen in car headlights. Reflective vests, sashes or wrist bands work well. Remember, fluorescent clothing doesn’t work after dark.

· Clip on reflectors, arm bands and stickers on your outfit or school bag will improve your visibility.

· It is the law to have clean and working lights on your bike – red at the back and white at the front - you must also fit your bike with red rear reflectors. Fitting spoke reflectors will also help you to be seen in the dark.

· ‘Being Bright’ isn’t the only way to be safer. If you’re out at night, choose routes and crossing places that are well lit and remember to always use the Green Cross Code – Find the safest place to cross, Stop, Look and Listen.

The ‘Tales of the Road’ website can be found at http://direct.gov.uk/talesoftheroad.

It has interactive games for children as well as educational material for teachers and parents.

Notes to Editors

As well as re-running the ads on TV, cinema and online, THINK! has produced a road safety leaflet in conjunction with JJB stores, BrightKidz on-line, Apollo and Empire cinemas.

The leaflet has top tips on how to Be Bright, Be Seen, along with a 20% discount voucher on junior high visibility bibs at JJB and a 20% discount reduction when you order a high vis. PE bag with BrightKidz on-line.

The leaflets will be given away, along with Be Bright, Be Seen reflective clip-ons, at 13 Apollo cinemas during half term week (w/c 26 October) and 17 Empire cinemas over the Halloween weekend (31 October-1 November).

Woolworths.co.uk, sponsors of Cineworld’s Movies for Juniors’ weekends, and Cineworld are promoting our Be Bright, Be Seen message. They will be giving away Be Bright, Be Seen reflective clip-ons with on-line orders for Halloween goods and more clip-ons over the Halloween weekend at around 66 Cineworld cinemas. To promote Movies for Juniors, Woolworths will give away free family tickets for the Spiderwick Chronicles on October 31 on-line from 29 October.

Ready Brek is supporting Be Bright, Be Seen with a national print, TV, radio and on-line PR campaign. The message will be communicated as part of their ‘Be ready for anything’ campaign, which aims to ensure that wearing fluorescent and reflective gear is as much a part of the child’s daily routine as eating a healthy breakfast. The campaign will be supported by Olympic BMX biker, Shanaze Reade. Ready brek will also run a range of on-line and radio competitions during the course of Be Bright, Be Seen week, where children can win high visibility gear.

Sunderland FC is promoting the Be Bright, Be Seen message in its children's newsletter 'Samson's Shout'.

Press Enquires: 020 7944 3066 Out of Hours: 020 7944 4292 Public Enquiries: 0300 330 3000 Department for Transport Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk/

Contacts:

Roads ..
Phone: 020 7944 3066
nds.dft@coi.gsi.gov.uk