Children are being urged to be seen as well as heard this winter in the latest ‘Be Bright, Be Seen’ THINK! road safety campaign.

The Department for Transport’s THINK! road safety campaign will be re-running its ‘Girl who didn’t Dress Bright in the Dark’ advertisement in cinemas. It will be aired on television and online from today (Monday October 26th). The Boy who didn’t Find a Safe Place to Cross ad 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.

Sadly the lovable hedgehogs who provided catchy jingles to help many children remember to ’stop look and listen’ have gone into hibernation  However the new Tales of the Road Campaign and website has been launched by the government to keep you, your parents and teachers on your toes and up to date on the latest road safety advice.

There are numerous games for kids including Stop, Look and Listen as well as information on how to cross the road safely.  The boy needs to cross the road. Help him stop, look and listen by playing the make me cross game on the website here: www.direct.gov.uk/talesoftheroad

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.

• Woolworths.co.uk, sponsors of Cineworld’s Movies for Juniors’ weekends, and Cineworld are promoting the 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 also promoting 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 online and radio competitions during the course of the 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’.

Ernie Sage Road Safety Services Manager for Hampshire County Council said:

“We need to remind parents and children how important it is for them to stay visible to traffic.  Children on their way to and from school are often wearing dark uniforms, dark coats and carrying dark bags, making it harder for drivers to see them. Wearing bright clothing by day and something reflective by night makes you much easier to be seen.” 

In 2008, 86 children aged six to 11 were killed or seriously injured while walking in the South East and 23 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, 109 child pedestrians or cyclists were killed or seriously injured on roads in the South East 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 are going out after dark.  At the same time, drivers also need to take extra care and look out for children.”

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.