As part of the latest Vision Zero Day, the Safer Essex Roads Partnership (SERP) brought together education, enforcement and community engagement across Waltham Abbey, with School Speed Watch taking centre stage.
What happens when children ask speeding drivers why they were breaking the speed limit?
For many motorists in Waltham Abbey, it proved to be a far more powerful intervention than they expected.
Children Delivering the Biggest Lesson
School Speed Watch gives primary school children the opportunity to speak directly to drivers who have been stopped for speeding outside their school.
Rather than receiving penalty points, many drivers are offered the chance to answer questions from the children themselves, encouraging them to reflect on the real consequences of speeding in places where young people walk, cycle and cross the road every day.
At Hillhouse C of E Primary School, five groups of pupils took part throughout the morning, speaking to 14 speeding drivers.
The conversations left a lasting impression.
The first driver, a motorcyclist travelling at 36mph in a 30mph limit, listened carefully to the children’s questions. He explained that he had children of his own, described himself as a careful rider and admitted he would pay much closer attention to his speed in future.
Not every interaction was the same.
One driver showed little interest in engaging with the children, giving pupils a valuable lesson that not everyone on the road thinks about the safety of others. It prompted important discussions about why children should never assume drivers have seen them and why making safe decisions near roads is so important.
Another motorist apologised for speeding, saying that they would stick to the speed limit in future, even when running late.
One driver acknowledged that receiving penalty points could cost them their job and affect their ability to support their family. Officers used the opportunity to explain that the consequences of speeding could be far greater if a child were seriously injured.
A newly qualified driver also admitted they had not been paying attention to their speed and recognised how easily their actions could have led to devastating consequences.
Education Beyond the Classroom
The morning also demonstrated that road safety is about much more than speeding.
While one group was returning to school, officers dealt with a driver who had not been wearing a seatbelt. The pupils were able to watch officers carrying out the roadside stop before discussing why seatbelts remain one of the simplest ways to reduce serious injury in the event of a collision.
Later, another vehicle stopped close to the crossing with loud music playing and occupants distracted by their own entertainment, seemingly unaware that children were preparing to cross the road. The situation provided another valuable learning opportunity about driver awareness and the importance of paying attention around schools.
A Wider Vision Zero Day
Elsewhere in Waltham Abbey, the partnership visited Upshire Primary School, speaking with around 110 children, parents, and carers about safer journeys to school and the importance of parents and carers modelling good road user behaviour and setting a good example behind the wheel.
The engagement team also visited 45 businesses across Sun Street, Cartersfield and Brooker Road, discussing Driving with Confidence, a free course developed to support older drivers and their passengers, drive safer for longer, and Business Driving in Essex, which provides expert training, workshops and risk management for organisations. Many local businesses supported the initiative and suggested further locations where road safety interventions could make a difference.
Enforcement Supporting Education
Alongside the educational activity, officers continued enforcement across the area.
During the operation:
- 14 speeding drivers were stopped by police and spoken to by Hillhouse Primary School pupils.
- Two additional speeding offences were dealt with during school break periods.
- One driver was reported for driving without insurance after attempting to obtain insurance at the roadside.
- One driver was identified for careless driving. Further checks revealed they were driving whilst disqualified, uninsured and suspected of drug driving which then led to an arrest.
Working Towards Vision Zero
Vision Zero Days are about changing behaviour before collisions happen.
Whether through conversations with children, discussions with local businesses or targeted enforcement, every interaction helps challenge risky behaviour and reminds road users of the responsibility they have to keep themselves and others safe.
For many of the drivers stopped in Waltham Abbey, the questions asked by local schoolchildren may prove to be the most memorable lesson of all.
Together, these interventions help move Essex closer to Vision Zero – a future where no one is killed or seriously injured on our roads.
