London Borough of Sutton is a local council providing all the usual civic amenities found in Local Government. This includes a Road Safety Unit responsible for education training and publicity. It is a small unit consisting of only 2 people responsible for education, training and publicity assisted by a small group of cycle instructors working part-time.

 

The London Borough of Sutton renewed commitment will undertake to carry out the following actions: 

We will continue with a programme of education to children, the education programme is delivered in the classroom to a total of about 4,000 children every year in the age group 10-12 years. It is themed on pedestrian skills and traffic awareness in the first year and moral responsibility of being a road user in the second year.   We will also train on-road over 2000 children each year in the same age group in cycling skills.

 

To enhance the message we distribute to every child a selection of promotional gifts such as draw-string bags, novelty pens, lanyards and wallets. The presentations are illustrated with DVDs.   We have now commissioned a film company to make two new road safety DVDs to replace the old ones. The Road Safety Officer that gives the presentations uses stories from his many years as a Traffic Police Officer in the Metropolitan Police when he reported around 6,500 road accidents over a period of nearly 10 years. 

 

We also present to 6th Form students (16 to 18) a seminar about becoming a New Driver and the danger to young people once they have passed their driving test. This is also illustrated with a DVD. 

 

Finally, we are continuing our campaign to cut the casualty rate among powered two-wheeler riders. To do this we are funding additional training for new riders and advertising motorcycle safety in a public screen, till-roll receipts and bus-shelters. 

 

We will have a display in the town centre encouraging young riders to take further training and are arranging for warning signs to go on lamp-posts in the town on busy routes used heavily by motorcyclists. This partnership involves a motorcycle training school, the Police and a local motorcycle dealer. These programmes have become well established over the last five years and are delivered on a continually rolling plan.