Today (Wednesday 18 March), over 29,000 2-7 year olds will take part in Beep Beep! Day, in collaboration with Aardman’s Timmy Time and Churchill Insurance, learning about how to keep safe on the roads.
Alice Husband is backing Brake’s Beep Beep! Day after her 7 year old son, Seth, was killed by a driver using a hands-free phone as he crossed the road near his home in Tydd Gote, Cambridgeshire in December 2014.
Research by Brake also revealed that drivers overwhelmingly support young children, aged 7 and under, learning about road safety at school and nursery. A survey of 2,000 drivers found that 9 in 10 agree that it is important for young children to learn about road safety.
Young children are amongst the most vulnerable road users. On average, 10 children aged 7 and under are killed and seriously injured on Britain’s roads every day [2], highlighting the vital need for action to improve road safety.
Children taking part in Beep Beep! Day with Timmy Time will learn important lessons about road safety through a series of fun activities taking place in schools and nurseries across the country.
The activities will focus on three core topics of safe walking near roads, crossing roads safely, and always using a child seat when travelling by car.
Through these activities nurseries, schools and families also give children the skills to talk to grown-ups about what they can do to help keep them safe.
Samuel Nahk, Senior Public Affairs Officer for Brake, said: “Anyone who has or works with young children will tell you how wonderful they are at absorbing new information and wanting to share that with anyone who will listen. Children are never too young to start learning about road safety – something which most drivers agree is important. These vital messages will stay with them for life. This project gives them a voice to call on grown-ups to use roads safely too and ensure we can all enjoy safe and healthy journeys, wherever we live.”
Alice Husband, whose son Seth died after being hit by a car in 2014, said: “The Beep Beep! Day that Brake is running is a great way of teaching young children about road safety and hopefully helps keep them safe on the roads. My son Seth was killed crossing the road and I couldn’t bear for anyone else to have to suffer the loss of a child in a road crash.”
Lucy Brooksbank, head of marketing, at Churchill Insurance, said: “We are very proud to have supported Brake and its Beep Beep! Day since the very beginning. The wide range of resources made available to those participating not only makes this a fun day, but a day that makes a difference and hopefully saves lives. Too many children die or are seriously injured on our roads each week. Beep Beep! Day is a great way of starting to talk to young children about road safety, as well as raising awareness among drivers, including parents and grandparents, of the need to drive with extreme care when young children are about.”
Laura Burr, Senior Brand Manager at Aardman, said: “It’s great to be working with Brake. Learning about road safety is so important, and we hope that involving Timmy will not only help educate young children, but also add some fun.”