Island pupils have received a lesson in road safety that could save lives.
The Isle of Wight Council’s road safety team commissioned The Riot Act Ltd to deliver its pedestrian safety theatre education show, ‘What went down’, to Year 7 students across the Island.
Statistics show 24 per cent of Island pedestrian casualties in the past five years have been aged 16 years and under.
‘Failure to look’
The leading contributory factor in pedestrian incidents is ‘failure to look’, which could be a result of being distracted by the roadside, such as using a mobile phone.
The performance and workshop focus on distractions, peer pressure and the consequences of road traffic collisions within local communities.
Campbell: Encourages young people to make responsible and safe decisions
Lewis Campbell, the council’s road safety officer, said,
“We commissioned this drama performance to help young people to think about the importance of road safety, especially those who have just started secondary school and may be travelling independently to school for the first time.
“Equipping children with this knowledge encourages them to make responsible and safe decisions as pedestrians throughout their school years and beyond. A huge thanks to The Riot Act for delivering another successful tour.”
“Friends should not influence you to be careless”
Pupil feedback has been very positive with some commenting:
“I’ve learnt that road safety is extremely important and that crossing roads should be taken seriously because the consequences of being hit by a car can be life threatening.
“I’ve also learnt that friends should not influence you to be careless when crossing a road or in general as the safety of yourself and others is a priority.”
“I now know how important it is to stay safe on the roads”
Another said,
“I have learnt how to be safe on the roads when I am with my friends and without my friends.
“I now know how important it is to stay safe on the roads because there could be severe consequences. I also know it is not safe to mess around on the road or by the road as people could get injured by an oncoming car.”
More information on The Riot Act Ltd and their shows can be found on their website.
Details on the STATS19 database used by the police to collect data can be found on the Government website.
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
