Road Safety Week 2017 – what happened during the week?
Throughout Road Safety Week 2017 we published a daily update giving details of activities and interventions that took place across Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.
Organised by Brake, Road Safety Week (20-26 Nov) aims to inspire schools, organisations and communities to take action and promote road safety messages during the week itself and beyond.
The annual event also provides a focal point for professionals working in road safety to boost awareness of, and engagement with their work.
Using the theme ‘Speed Down Save Lives’, Road Safety Week 2017 focused on the need to keep to lower speeds, especially in built up areas.
Throughout the week
In addition to the daily activites detailed below, two educational establishments ran road safety educational initiatives throughout Road Safety Week.
Chelmer Valley High School, Chelmsford – all tutors had a short PowerPoint presentation which covers key facts and information about speed. The last slide challenged students to ‘create a poster to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding’. The posters will be entered into competition with prizes up for grabs, and the winning posters will be displayed throughout the school.
Tendring Technology College – where there was a whole college PSHE focus on road safety. All tutors from Years 7-11 delivered 20 minute lessons on road safety. In some PSHE lessons students also had a talk by Essex Fire and Rescue officers, giving tips and advice about keeping safe on the roads.
Friday 24 November – what happened on day five?
Basildon – pupils from Buttsbury Junior School undertook Bikeability Level 1 and 2 training.
Billericay – A ‘SERP day’ was held in the town in which SERP partners interacted face-to-face with members of the public to promote the current SERP adult pedestrian campaign. Also, at various schools and colleges pupils and students acted as SERP ‘ambassadors’ by promoting road safety messages during Road Safety Week.
Colchester – Operatives working for the highways maintenance company Ringway Jacobs participated in a road safety training day at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, home of Colchester United Football Club (see pic above).
Epping – Year 5 pupils at Theydon Bois Primary underwent pedestrian training.
Thursday 23 November – what happened on day four?
Braintree – Year 5 pupils from Richard De Clare Primary participated in a session with a reaction tester. In other schools pupils are acting as SERP ‘ambassadors’ by promoting road safety messages during Road Safety Week.
Canvey Island – Reception and Year 5 pupils at Holy Family Primary undertook age appropriate pedestrian training sessions.
Colchester – Year 5 pupils at Chappel Primary underwent pedestrian training, while pupils from Layer de la Haye Primary undertook Bikeability Level 1 and 2 training.
Halsted – A ‘SERP day’ was held in the town in which SERP partners interacted face-to-face with members of the public to promote the current SERP adult pedestrian campaign.
Rochford – Year 5 pupils at Ashingdon Primary underwent pedestrian training.
Southend-on-Sea – Year 5 pupils at Hinguar Primary underwent pedestrian training, while the rest of the school participated in a road safety workshop and assembly (see pic opposite). The road safety display at the Forum will continue throughout the week (see pic at foot of page).
Tendring – Year 5 pupils at The Mayflower Primary underwent pedestrian training.
Thurrock – Year 5 pupils at Howbridge Primary participated in pedestrian training, while reception aged children at Orsett Primary went on a walk to learn basic pedestrian skills and participated in balance cycle training. A Roadster young driver event was held at Harris Academy.
Uttlesford – Year 5 pupils at Birchanger Primary underwent pedestrian training.
Witham – a Community Speed watch session was held in the town.
Wednesday 22 November – what happened on day three?
Basildon – Dave Rudd, SERP’s road safety officer for business, gave a one-hour presentation to 130 members of the Ringway Jacobs’ design services team, covering hands free mobile phone and drink/drug driving (see pic below).
Canvey Island – Reception and Year 5 pupils at Lubbins Park Primary Academy undertook age appropriate pedestrian training sessions.
Chelmsford – Reception aged children at Galleywood Infants went on a walk to learn basic pedestrian skills, while Year 5 pupils at Lawford Mead Primary also underwent pedestrian training. In other schools pupils are acting as SERP ‘ambassadors’ by promoting road safety messages during Road Safety Week.
Colchester – Bikeablity Level 1 & 2 cycle training took place at Hamilton Primary and Prettygate Junior Schools.
Southend-on-Sea – Year 5 pupils from Richmond Primary underwent pedestrian training, while the road safety display at the Forum will continue throughout the week (see pic below).
Stansted (M11) – SERP partners held an ‘engagement and education’ initiative with drivers and passengers at Welcome Break Birchanger Services on the M11 (pictured below). Welcome Break is supporting Road Safety Week to highlight the dangers on the motorway network across the UK. The SERP event was a great success with the travelling public attracted by a fire appliance from Stansted, Highways England giving advice on using ‘smart motorways’ and Essex Audi Group bringing along a R8 V10 Spyder, along with the Fire Car S3 kindly loaned to by the Group to Essex Fire & Rescue. Essex Police carried out enforcement at J8 on the M11, with road users who committed offences including speeding, using a mobile phone and not wearing a seatbelt directed to the Services to watch a virtual reality film highlighting the dangers of committing these offences. The event will be repeated on Saturday 25 November.
Tendring – Year 5 pupils from Wix & Wrabness Primary undertook pedestrian training.
Thurrock – pupils attending East Tilbury Primary participated in pedestrian and cyclist training. Year 5 pupils from Stifford Clays Primary also undertook pedestrian training, while Year 3 pupils participated in a ‘twilight trail’ (pictured below) to highlight the importance of ‘be bright, be seen’ (as did Year 3 pupils from Chadwell St Mary Primary). Reception aged children at Orsett Primary went on a walk to learn basic pedestrian skills, and participated in balance cycle training.
Tuesday 21 November – what happened on day two?
Brentwood – Year 5 pupils from Bentley St Pauls Primary participated in pedestrian training sessions.
Chelmsford –Year 5 pupils from Margaretting Primary and Priory Primary organised school speed watch events outside their schools. Meanwhile, SERP partners staged a ‘surround a town’ day in Chelmsford (pictured above), with a visible police presence on the arteries to the town where there are high rates of collisions and casualties, supported by SERP partners who interacted with the public in the town centre, to capitalise on the interest created by the police ‘surround’. During the day police officers identified 11 seatbelt and nine mobile phone offences. In addition, during two School Speed Watch sessions (pictured below) 17 drivers were spoken to by pupils , while a Community Speed Watch team at Highwoods recorded 24 speeding vehicles over two sessions. SERP partners were also based at Sainsbury’s where 70 shoppers were spoken to about various road safety issues.
Kelvedon & Halsted – Bikeablity Level 1 & 2 cycle training took place at Kelvedon St Marys Primary Academy and St Andrews Primary in Halstead.
Southend-on-Sea – pupils from Chalkwell Hall Junior took part in a series of road safety role-playing sessions, while in other schools pupils are acting as SERP ‘ambassadors’ by promoting road safety messages during Road Safety Week.
Thurrock – Reception aged children at Orsett Primary went on a walk to learn basic pedestrian skills, and participated in balance cycle training. Year 3 pupils from Arthur Bugler Primary undertook a ‘twilight trail’ to highlight the importance of ‘be bright, be seen’.
Wickford – Year 5 pupils from Bentley St Pauls Primary participated in pedestrian training sessions.
Monday 20 November – what happened on day one?
Canvey Island – Reception aged children attending St Joseph’s Primary were taken on a walk to learn basic pedestrian skills.
Chelmsford – Employees of the highways maintenance company Ringway Jacobs participated in a number of road safety presentations throughout the day.
Colchester – Bikeablity Level 1 & 2 cycle training took place at Montgomery Junior and Broomgrove Junior schools.
Harlow – Year 5 pupils from Katherine’s Primary participated in a pedestrian training session.
Rochford – Year 5 pupils from St Teresa’s Primary took part in a pedestrian training session, while in other schools pupils acted as SERP ‘ambassadors’ by promoting road safety messages.
Southend-on-Sea – The photo (above) shows a road safety display at the Forum, a state-of-the-art library and learning facilities in the heart of Southend town centre co-managed jointly by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, the University of Essex and South Essex College. There was also a Community Speed Watch training session at the Civic Centre, and pupils from Chalkwell Hall Junior participated in a series of road safety role-playing sessions.
24 November 2017