Brake's Educator's Bulletin - February

Is it February already? We hope you had a fantastic January and a great start to the new year. Read on to find out what's happening this year and how you can get involved. Did you run activities during Road Safety Week? Our case studies are now on our website. Take a look and see if you made it! And did you know that half of drivers aged 18-24 admit to being in a car with someone not belted up in the past year? Our new research, to commemorate the 36th anniversary of mandatory wearing of a seat belt in the UK, found that young drivers are nearly three times more likely to be in a car with someone who isn’t belted up compared to all drivers and more than eight times more likely than drivers over 65. Take a look at our press release to continue reading. Beep Beep! Day Our first Beep Beep! Day of 2019 is just six weeks away on Wednesday 20 March. Get your 2-7 year olds involved with our free resources to help them understand road safety basics. It's also an easy way to raise valuable funds to support Brake's work and you can purchase a bumper pack, just £10.50+VAT (per 50 children), for extra resources for your day. A big thank you to Churchill for their sponsorship of the project for the fifteenth year!   Kids Walk 2019 We're pleased to announce this year's Kids Walk sponsor: Ocado Foundation. On Wednesday 26 June, thousands of children aged 4-11 from across the country will put their best feet forward to promote road safety in their community .This project aims to inspire and engage children about the dangers they face and help Brake call on grown-ups to make their streets safer. Sign up now for your free action pack including stickers, certificates, posters, lesson plans and other activities! Children's Mental Health Week This week (4-10 February) is Children's Mental Health Week and Place2Be are highlighting the importance of staying healthy, inside and out. Whether you’re someone who works with children, a parent or carer, or passionate about supporting mental health, Place2Be needs your help to reach as many people as possible. Visit its website for ideas and free resources to get involved or get involved on social media. Your local Road Safety Officers are on hand to support THINK! Education is partnering with Road Safety Officers (RSOs) across England and Wales, to help you bring road safety to life in your classroom. Why not invite an RSO from your local area to discuss: practical pedestrian and cyclist training teaching inspiration, such as props for a memorable lesson local schemes they may offer, such as Junior Road Safety Officers Contact your local road safety team by visiting the Road Safety GB website to find out they can support you this year. In the meantime, THINK!’s free curriculum-linked and interactive resources come recommended by your peers and pupils alike. 96% of educators rate them as good or very good, and 95% of pupils were engaged, or very engaged. Check out the resources for age 3-16 available now on the  THINK! Education website and sign up for THINK! road safety guidance.   Children’s freedom: how Playing Out is working to restore it. We know that road safety messaging has been successful over recent decades, fewer children are now killed on the roads than when cars first started hurtling along our residential streets but children, especially those living in poorer areas, are still being knocked down on the streets where they live. These gruesomely ‘positive’ statistics have come at a very high price: the loss of children’s freedom, as parents, rightly, keep their children safe by dissuading them from playing out. Playing Out is supporting a street play movement across the UK helping residents and parents temporarily close their streets for play to create safe spaces for children to play on the streets outside their own front doors. Visit the Playing Out website for resources for parents and councils and click here to read more about children’s freedom and road safety.