News : PROTECT YOUR KIDS - BELT THEM IN
Following a shocking survey last year in which Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety discovered that every fourth child on the school run does not wear a seatbelt, it has teamed up with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service to deliver an especially designed lesson to each primary school across North Lancashire. The initiative will be launched at St Mary’s Catholic School, Morecambe on 22nd June.
Said Kat Whitemoss, Senior Communications Officer for Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety: “In addition to a quarter of children not wearing a seat belt at all, we have found that 60% of children travelling in car seats are at risk in the event of a crash because the seats are not properly fixed into the cars. Explaining the consequences of not wearing a well-fitting seatbelt to the children will help them take more responsibility for their own safety, and will remind parents to make vital checks before each journey – no matter how short.”
Mr Michael Manton, head teacher of the St Mary’s School: “The lesson plan is excellent. It explains very clearly the importance of the seatbelt fitting properly by resting on the hips and breast bone which are robust, unlike the neck or the tummy areas. It also encourages us to measure each child and send them home to their parents with a record of exactly what child restraint and seatbelt configuration they should be using to stay safe.”
Said Steve Collins, Road Safety Co-ordinator for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service: “On average, half of all our call-outs are to road traffic collisions. These incidents result in 50% more casualties than house fires and a quarter of those injured are children. As part of Fire and Rescue crews we see first hand the damage done by ill fitting seatbelts or not wearing one at all. It is so avoidable if only children and parents know the risks. That is what these lessons are all about.”
Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety hopes that the Fire and Rescue Service will be able to visit every primary school in the North Lancashire area by the end of the year.
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