Police Back Walk To School Week

Posted on May 19, 2012

Bedfordshire Police will be supporting the national Walk to School Week which runs from Monday May 21 until Friday May 25. 

Members of Local Policing Teams will be attending a number of schools across the county to talk to students about the importance of road safety awareness, reinforcing key personal safety messages and also assisting some schools that operate walking buses and park and stride schemes.

Richard Denton, the Children & Young People Development Officer and School Coordinator for Bedfordshire Police said: "Whilst this type of work is undertaken throughout the year we would like to use this week to ask parents, guardians and careers who need to drive their children to school to try and park away from the school in a safe place and walk the last few hundred yards as this may help stop traffic congestion and potential collisions outside schools.

"We will also be using this week to reinforce key personal safety messages to students walking to school to help them keep safe."

Personal Safety advice for students walking to school and other educational establishments 

• If possible walk with a friend or group of friends.
• Stay alert – Keep an eye on everything that is happening around you.
• Avoid wearing earphones or chatting on your mobile phone, as this will distract you from your surroundings and you may not see or hear trouble approaching. The sooner you are aware of potential danger, the easier it is to avoid it.
• Keep both hands free and don't weigh your-self down with lots of heavy bags – you need to be able to move easily.
• Trust your instincts – If you have a 'funny feeling' about someone or something, don't ignore it, act on it straight away.
• Take the route you know best and stick to busy, well-lit streets.
• Avoid danger spots like deserted parks and badly-lit areas.
• Walk in the middle of the pavement, facing oncoming traffic. This will avoid any cars driving up alongside you as you walk.
• Think about your route home. Where would be a safe place to go if something went wrong? Safe places might be busy places like shops or garages, friends' houses or a police station.
• Have your keys ready so you can get into your home quickly.

 To find out more about Walk to School week visit http://www.walktoschool.org.uk/