Road safety education

The road safety unit provides a range of road safety education and training programmes. This page gives information about some of those schemes.

Here you will find information about a range of road safety education and training programmes.

What we wear can help us stay safe on or near the road. Drivers notice bright, fluorescent and reflective material more than darker colours. This information is important for everyone, but it is especially important for the more vulnerable road users; children, pedestrians and riders. The general guide is: 

  • Bright coloured clothing or fluorescent colours help us been seen better during the day by drivers. 
  • Reflective materials in clothing or equipment help us to been seen at night. 

Northumberland County Council's road safety team are supporting the Department for Transport’s THINK! road safety campaign Be Bright Be Seen. Making sure that children are easily seen by drivers is important all year round but especially when evenings are darker. 

Click here for more top tips from the Be Bright Be Seen campaign
 

What can Schools do? 

  • Hold a Dress as bright as possible day 
  • Share information with parents about bright and reflective coats, when sharing uniform details.  
  • Share the leaflet Be Bright Be Seen or play the Be Bright Be Seen game
  • If providing school bags, choose bright colours with reflective material on them. 
What can Parents do? 
  • When buying new outer garments aim for these to have brighter colours or reflective material on them. Only a small section is needed. 
  • Play the Be Bright Be Seen game with your children. 
  • Read the leaflet Be Bright Be Seen for more tips. 

What can Drivers and Riders do? 

Look out for children and drive slowly near them, especially in places where children and more likely to be found. 

Downloads and links 

Be Bright Be Seen leaflet 

Think! Tales of the Road Interactive Road Safety page 

Be Bright Be Seen Game 

 View the 5 top tips on how to be bright be seen here.
The Road Safety GB North East group is made up of the 12 local highway authorities in the region, including Northumberland, three regional police forces and four fire and rescue teams. It works closely with other emergency services and is supported by Highways England. 
 
The group’s aim is to reduce road casualties through education, training and publicity campaigns, and to pool resources, skills and knowledge to provide a wider perspective on road safety issues.  
 
The Road Safety GB North East Group’s ‘Look Out For Each Other’ campaign won Gold at the CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) North East awards, in conjunction with PR and marketing agency DTW.   
 
Judges said that the campaign: “Integrates a series of well-thought through mini campaigns using hard-hitting messages and imaginative approaches.  It achieved very high reach, affecting public behaviour and positioning REGB NE as road safety’s leading voice in the region. It achieved its impact by using trends to target the most vulnerable road-user groups.”  
 
Follow this link to visit the Road Safety GB North East Group website and learn more about the campaign 

Every child in Northumberland is eligible for cycle tuition through the Bikeability scheme administered by the Bikeability Trust.  Click here for information on the range of courses available. 

Northumberland County Council have engaged The Cycle Partnership to deliver the range of Bikeability courses to all schools in the County. Details about the Cycle Partnership can be found here. 

 Click here for tips for families cycling together. 

Northumberland County Council work closely with schools, family hubs and public health to provide information, advice and training on road safety for all ages. We support and follow the guidance provided by the Highway Code and the governments Think! Website. We promote ‘Stop, Look, Listen and Think’, and help provide road safety information or resources for: 

What can Schools do? 

Providing road safety education is vital in helping to safeguard our children on the way to and from school. Schools can deliver one off road safety activities or day events and deliver road safety education through core curriculum subjects.  

Road Safety GB North East data shows that over 2600 children in the North East have been injured or killed on our roads in the recent 5 year period. Children benefit from training and reminders of how to be safe when crossing the road.  

Schools can find out more about road safety, the council road safety brochure and further resources and links on the Road Safety section of the Education Website or Think! website. Some of the education and support that Northumberland County Council provides are: 

Brake testing simulator for learner drivers 

 

What can Parents do? 

Setting a good example and teaching your children how to be safe on or near the road is an important skill, especially the ‘Stop, Look, Listen, Think’ message. There are many resources available that can help: 

What can drivers and riders do?

Drivers and riders can be incredibly helpful in keeping children safe in our community. Some of the things that they can do are: 

 

Drivers and Riders 
You can keep up to date with the changes to the Highway Code and laws here.  

Useful Links for New Drivers and Riders 

Click here for tips for new drivers and riders. 
Click here for tips for the parents of new drivers. 
Click here for free practice theory and hazard perception tests. 
Click here for the novice rider skill up website 

Useful car seat safety links
ROSPA Child Car Seat website 
Child car seat safety guide    
In car child safety - Safety Seats, Boosters, Law and advice (goodeggcarsafety.com) 

Older Road Users, for tips click here and for local support click here 

The county of Northumberland is a motorcyclist’s heaven, with miles of sweeping A and B roads, and spectacular scenery. However, motorcyclists have high accident and injury rates per mile travelled of all road user groups, and each year sees accidents and fatalities among those travelling on engine powered two wheels.

Improve your skills 
After obtaining a motorcycle licence, think about developing your skills further - it can be a good investment in relation to your own safety. Consider advanced or ‘refresher’ courses. Use the RoSPA Skill Up website for short videos and information to improve your skills or use it as a refresher. Alternatively read on for further information or check your local Yellow Pages. 
 

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Enhanced Rider Scheme enables motorcyclists to have their riding skills checked by a DVSA approved trainer to help them become a safer rider and get more from their motorcycling. The ERS is designed to be delivered in a day, with additional, optional opportunities for other training in specific skills. 

Costs vary, with trainers across the county. To find a local trainer, use the search function at https://www.gov.uk/enhanced-rider-scheme 

IAM RoadSmart offer an Advanced Rider Course, an on-road advanced motorcycling course delivered by trained volunteers that leads to greater confidence and a feeling of increased safety. It will take between three and six months to complete the Advanced Rider Course, which is taken on your own bike with a local group close to you. Courses differ slightly in the way they’re delivered so check your local group to find out exactly how they do it. This varies from group to group and not all request a charge. The courses run throughout the year. An observer is allocated to the motorcyclist who rides with them on a one-to-one basis to put the theory into 

practice. Some groups may ask for a contribution to the fuel costs of your observer/trainer. 

More information, and the contact details of your local group, can be found at: https://www.iamroadsmart.com/local-groups 

This is local group of RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders (RoADAR); a team of volunteers promoting safe and more rewarding driving and riding through improved skills. As one of over fifty regional groups throughout the UK, they provide the training and support you need to pass the RoADAR Advanced Driving or Riding test and become a full member of the national RoADAR organisation. 

Nationally recognised and conducted by Police Class 1 Advanced Certificate holders, it is generally regarded as the most comprehensive and challenging test of its kind available to the general public. The test must be retaken every three years to ensure that the qualification carries real worth, both to you and other road users. The North-East group can be contacted at https://www.roadar-northeast.org.uk/