DURING a visit to Penketh High School, Warrington South MP Andy Carter met with Year 7 pupils who were taking part in a road safety session with assistance from Warrington Borough Council’s road safety team.
The session involved distributing reflective safety equipment such as Hi-Vis jackets to aid children when travelling to and from school in the dark.
Mr Carter said:“I recently met with the Child Brain Injury Trust in Parliament, who told me that road traffic collisions are the leading cause of acquired brain injury in the children they support across the UK in the last twelve months, making up twenty per cent of all referrals throughout the country. Twenty-two per cent of children in the North West referred to the charity in the last year are receiving support for an acquired brain injury that has occurred as a result of a road traffic collision.
“As the days get shorter and we have children walking to and from school in the dark, it is a timely reminder that adding something bright to their clothing helps drivers to see them in the dark. This is crucial as we head into the winter months this time of year. I’m very glad to see that schools in Warrington are fully engaged with making sure their pupils understand the importance of road safety.”
Mr Carter added his support to the Child Brain Injury Trust’s (CBIT) flagship awareness-raising campaign, GloWeek, which highlights the importance of being seen at night in order to increase road safety. The campaign aims to reduce the number of road traffic collisions sustained by children by asking those most vulnerable on the roads to don brightly coloured clothing during trips out, increasing their visibility to other road users. The MP spoke with some of the charity’s staff and supporters, including its Chief Executive, one of its acquired brain injury coordinators and the parent of a child the charity is supporting.
Of the charity’s referral figures, falls were second at 16 per cent of referrals and tumours third, at 14 per cent. These figures have led to them renewing calls for increased road safety and vigilance from vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, particularly during the winter months. CBIT experiences their highest number of referrals as a result of road traffic collision during winter, with 27 per cent of road traffic collision referrals in the last five years occurring between October and December.
Lisa Turan, Chief Executive Officer of the Child Brain Injury Trust, commented: “I’m delighted that MPs have shown their support for our campaign. Our referral statistics very clearly point to a need to emphasise the importance of road safety and protect the most vulnerable amongst us. Sadly there are some motorists who still don’t pay due care and attention when it comes to road awareness and that’s why our message of ‘Be Seen, Not Hurt’ is so important.
“Every day, my team and I see the fallout that road traffic collisions cause when they result in a childhood acquired brain injury and we are committed to reducing the damage done to pedestrians and cyclists through our campaign work. I am so heartened that MPs have been inspired to take our message back to constituents and to support us.”
