Central Bedfordshire councillor campaigns to get road safety education included in national curriculum

A Central Bedfordshire councillor is campaigning to get road safety education included in the national curriculum.

Liz Childs, who represents the Independent Alliance party, and covers the Barton-le-Clay and Silsoe wards, launched the campaign on Tuesday, November 4, during the National Road Safety Conference held at Wyboston Lakes near Bedford.

Liz, who also works as a teacher, has launched the campaign as she strongly believes that teaching an agreed syllabus of road safety and awareness would reduce the risk of death or serious injury on the roads.

She will be using the raccoon character Roadwise Reggie as part of her messaging, and has also launched a petition through the platform change.org which the public are invited to sign.

"Every day 36 children are killed or injured on UK roads, and last year alone saw 64 young lives lost and another 13,112 injuries," Liz said.

"The impact on families and local communities is simply devastating.

"Government may have recently introduced a new road safety strategy, but sadly, it only pays lip service to road safety education.

"As a councillor for Central Bedfordshire, a county with many main roads and even more excellent schools, I am working alongside Roadwise Reggie and urging everyone to think again on road safety.

"I will be asking community members, parents, teachers, friends and families to Stop, Scan and Sign my campaign petition."

Now in its 15th year, the National Road Safety Conference is the flagship annual event organised by Road Safety GB.

Last year’s event was held in Birmingham, and attracted more than 370 road safety professionals from around the world.

Liz’s campaign, entitled Make Road Safety Education a CORE part of the National Curriculum Campaign, can be viewed by visiting the change.org website and searching Road CORE.