Press release

THINK! reminds children to be bright to be seen

Making sure that children are easily seen by drivers is especially important at this time of year when evenings are drawing-in.

From:
Department for Transport and The Rt Hon Sir Mike Penning
Published
27 October 2010
This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Children are today being urged to ‘be bright and be seen’ ahead of the clocks going back this weekend (27 October 2010).

The Department for Transport’s THINK! road safety campaign is reminding children of some top tips to help them be seen when out and about on the roads.

Road Safety Minister, Mike Penning, said:

Britain’s roads are among the safest in the world and the number of children killed has fallen by 82% in the last 20 years. However, 81 children still died on our roads last year and we know we need to do more to cut this toll.

Making sure that children are easily seen by drivers is important all year round but especially at this time of year when evenings are getting darker. Drivers and riders should also remember to keep a look out for children walking and cycling.

THINK!’s top tips for making sure children are visible when out on the roads are:

  • wear brightly coloured or fluorescent clothing which shows up well in daylight and at dusk
  • if you’re out and about when it’s dark, wear reflective gear to make sure you can be seen in car headlights - reflective vests, sashes or wristbands work well. Remember, fluorescent clothing doesn’t work after dark
  • use accessories - even small items such as clip-on reflectors, fluorescent arm bands and stickers on your school bag are a great way to improve your visibility
  • if you like to cycle, remember that it’s the law to have clean and working lights at night (white at the front and red at the back) as well as a rear reflector
  • being bright isn’t the only way to stay 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

The THINK! Tales of the Road website has interactive games and exercises explaining the importance of being visible on the road.

Notes to editors

Parents and teachers of younger children can use the exercises on the THINK! early years education website aimed at children under 7:

There are also a number of exercises for older children

The statistics quoted are for children aged 0-15 and are from reported road casualties Great Britain 2009

Roads media enquiries

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Updates to this page

Published 27 October 2010