Youngsters say – speed kills, so slow down!

Pupils have been keeping the streets safe by shaming drivers who break the speed limit near their schools.

They worked with the police and the council on a project which aimed to educate both themselves and motorists about dangers on the roads.

Year 6 pupils from Christ Church Ainsworth, Old Hall and Holcombe Brook primary schools took part, along with Year 8 pupils from Elton High School. All these schools are in areas where speeding traffic is a real concern to locals, and children seized the chance to use police speed enforcement equipment on the project.

Speeding drivers were stopped by the police, and given a choice – either take a fixed penalty and points on their licence, or be willing to be quizzed by the children. The pupils asked them if they knew how fast they were going, and how they would feel if a loved one was killed or injured by a speeding driver.

Over three mornings, 75 drivers were stopped for speeding. All of them, except one, chose to talk to the pupils.

PC Carolyn Morley from Ramsbottom Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “Sometimes a message from a child can be more effective than a message from an authority figure, because it makes us stop and think about what we are doing and how that can affect other people. We hope the drivers realise how lucky they have been and how dangerous speeding is to all road users.”

As well as monitoring and recording the speed of the traffic, the Year 6 pupils also took part in a design competition to create a leaflet aimed at persuading drivers to think carefully about their driving and to be more responsible.

Old Hall Primary School pupils won the competition and Christopher Cordwell and Claire Bolton both had their designs incorporated and her design into a leaflet that was distributed to drivers on the days of the project.

Ted Booker, Bury Council road safety officer, said: “Many of the drivers thought that this project was an effective way of getting them to change their driving habits. Some, on seeing how near the schools were to the road, looked shocked and apologised to the children. Residents also came out to thank the youngsters for their efforts.

“We hope that the children are more aware of road safety and that the drivers who were stopped show more respect towards the communities they drive through.”

ENDS

Press release issued: 13 December 2012.

Picture attached: Holcombe Brook pupils take part in the speeding drivers project with PC Carolyn Morley from Ramsbottom Neighbourhood Policing Team.