Herefordshire Council’s road safety team have put out an urgent call for schools to put forward two year 6 pupils to join the Junior Road Safety Officer’s (JRSO) scheme and raise awareness of the need to make sure pedestrians and cyclists are seen.

All JRSOs are presented with a road safety pack which includes a JRSO badge, certificate and pencil, a program of monthly topics, information on how to speak in assemblies, how to run competitions, the aim of the scheme and a copy of Arrive Alive, a highway code for young road users.

The aim of the scheme is to provide an interesting road safety stimulus to Primary and junior schools through monthly contact with the pupils. Each month the JRSOs are sent information on a road safety topic along with ideas on how to deliver the topic and a selection of worksheets.

This month all Junior Road Safety Officers are being asked to raise awareness that as the days shorten and nights draw in there is an increased risk of danger to all road users, especially children and cyclists.

National data from the Department for Transport shows that in 2007 during the months from October to December 1,899 child pedestrians and 522 child cyclists were killed or seriously injured in Great Britain. The peak time when accidents happened was between 8am and 9am and 3pm and 6pm, a time when children are travelling to and from school.

Councillor Brian Wilcox, Herefordshire Council’s cabinet member for highways and transportation said: “We know the number of children killed or seriously injured on the roads is reducing each year and we want to continue to see these casualty figures going down. As far as I am concerned one child killed or injured on Herefordshire roads is one too many.”

Ann Mann, road safety officer for Herefordshire Council said: “As road safety officers it is part of our role to remind the children and their parents that it is important to be 'Bright Be Seen' when they are outside during the winter months.”

Here are a few tips to 'Be Bright, Be Seen'.

• When it is dark wear light and bright coloured clothing; better still something reflective. Reflective material shows up well because the headlights make it stand out.
• Put reflective strips on your bags or clothing.
• During the day if the weather dull or misty wear something fluorescent.
• Cyclists by law must have a working white light on the front, a red back light and a red reflector at the back of their cycle. Also check that all your lights and reflectors are clean.
• Ann also asks for drivers to be more considerate and not to blind other road users with their lights.

“There are more vehicles, especially HGV's, which are travelling along our roads with the front and rear fog lights on when the weather conditions are good and these lights are not necessary. In fact they could well be breaking the law because these lights should only be used when visibility is seriously reduced,"said Ann.