Kids Walk for Safer Streets

The best place for children to learn about road safety is… outside of course! By also making it into a fun event involving the whole school it’s more memorable which helps the serious messages to stick.

And for your school you don’t even need to plan it from scratch; road safety charity Brake have set up a great event for you this June!

Find out more about their Kids Walk 2018 and how your school can join in.

Crocodile in Dundee (or Wherever You Live)

It’s not just an excuse to get out of the classroom; as well as giving your pupils some fresh air and (hopefully) sunshine, this event enables them to learn about and promote road safety and the benefits of walking.

On Wednesday 13 June, your school can join thousands of children aged 4-11 from across the country who will put their best feet forward to promote road safety and the health and planet-saving benefits of walking. Your short supervised walk can take place at or around school, with children walking in a crocodile formation and holding hands to promote the importance of kids being able to walk without fear or threat from traffic.

High Five

So far more than 80,000 children from over 450 UK schools have registered to take part, with thousands more expected to get involved over the next month.

The project is calling for five measures to help keep children safe: footpaths, cycle paths, safe places to cross, slow traffic and clean traffic. So the event goes beyond teaching children about road safety – it’s also about making roads safer for them by highlighting the issues to drivers and others.

Register Your School Here

Every school that registers via www.brake.org.uk/kidswalk will receive a free action pack full of posters, banners, lesson plans, assembly presentations and activities to run with their children. Bilingual resources will be available for schools in Wales. And hundreds of schools will use the event as a fundraiser for Brake – the charity that supports families who have lost loved ones in road crashes.

Get Your Voice Heard

Dave Nichols, community engagement manager for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “Brake is passionate about the safety and welfare of children. We believe it’s every child’s right to be able to walk in their communities without fear of traffic and pollution. But to do this, we need to make sure their journeys are safe. This is why we’re already working with thousands of children to give them and their school a voice, and I would encourage any school to join this project and help get these important messages out to grown-ups.”

Who’s Helping ?

The charity has also teamed up with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) to help local police and fire officers support schools with their walks, especially those that have problems with traffic and parking.

Partnership support for the event is from Co-op Insurance. Nick Ansley, Head of Motor Insurance at the Co-op said: “Our aim is to help to keep communities safe and this is another way in which we’re hoping to do just that.”
If your school takes part in the Brake Kids Walk 2018 and is working towards a school travel accreditation such as Modeshift STARS, remember to log your participation or put it in your school travel plan record. Happy Walking!