Educators urged to call Zak the Zebra, and help save lives!

Educators are urged to call the Zak the Zebra hotline on 08000 68 77 80 to report roads near schools and in residential areas where children are at risk while walking or riding their bikes

Educators who call the hotline, run by road safety charity Brake, will receive a free Zak pack which contains lots of resources and advice to help kick-start a local road safety campaign. Zak the Zebra, mascot of Brake’s national child safety campaign, Watch out there’s a kid about!, may also be able to visit communities to support local campaigns.

On 26 April 2007, Lamb’s Lane Primary School launched a campaign and ran a protest march after calling the Zak the Zebra hotline. The school is separated from where more than three-quarters of the pupils live by the Basingstoke Road which has a 40mph speed limit and is used regularly by commercial vehicles. Despite years of campaigning for a crossing to be put in place on the Basingstoke Road, no action had been taken.

With the help of Brake’s resources and support, including the appearance of Zak the Zebra, the campaign received excellent media coverage. After the start of the new school year, Wokingham Council announced plans to install a puffin crossing on the Basingstoke Road.

Sharon Finn, head teacher at Lamb’s Lane Primary School’s, says, “The support of Brake and Zak the Zebra gave our campaign a real lift. The children loved meeting him and the protest march was really succesful. I am sure that the publicity around the event as well as the continued lobbying of parents, pupils and governors led to the positive steps currently being taken by the Council which will help keep kids safe. Thank you Zak!”

Cathy Keeler, head of campaigns at Brake, says: “Through Brake’s work to support families affected by road crashes, we are all too aware of the terrible grief and devastation caused by the death or injury of a child on roads. Nationally, Brake is calling for increased Government investment in road safety measures to protect children, but we are also working to support local communities who want to see action taken now. If children are to be encouraged to walk and cycle more, which is good for their health and wellbeing, their safety needs to come first. We’re encouraging any educator concerned about children’s safety on roads to call our Zak the Zebra hotline (08000 68 77 80) and find out how Brake can help.”

The Zak the Zebra hotline number is 08000 68 77 80 (open 8am-8pm Monday to Friday and 9am-4pm on Saturdays).

The hotline is sponsored by Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, who are corporate partners of Brake. Regional managing partner at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, Grahame Codd said: “As personal injury solicitors we are well aware of how road crashes can devastate lives.  We are providing the Zak the Zebra hotline to hopefully reduce the shocking number of child casualties on our roads.”

On UK roads in 2006, 184 children under 16 were killed, including 80 on foot and 32 on bicycles. 3,359 children suffered serious injuries including brain damage, paralysis, loss of limbs or other injuries that change lives forever. [1]

Brake is an independent national road safety charity.  Brake exists to stop the 9 deaths and 82 serious injuries that happen on UK roads every day and to care for families bereaved and seriously injured in road crashes.  Brake produces educational road safety literature, runs community training programmes and runs events including Road Safety Week (10-16 November 2008).  Brake’s Fleet Safety Forum provides up-to-date fleet safety resources to fleet managers and runs a year-round programme of events. BrakeCare, Brake’s support division, cares for road crash victims through a helpline and other services.

[1] According to Dft and PSNI figures published 2007.

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