It’s a Jungle Out There!

The London Road Safety Council (LRSC) is spearheading a campaign targeted at Year 6 children who are about to transition from primary to secondary school.

Particularly focused at 11- and 12-year-olds who may be preparing to commute to and from a new school solo for the first ever time in September, the campaign will see local road safety officers visit schools in 11 London boroughs to offer tips and advice on how to stay safe.

Parents and carers are also being urged to speak to children about how to stay safe amidst growing concern that the pandemic has impacted young peoples’ exposure to ‘road risks’ – with lockdown resulting in home schooling for many, and fewer cars on the roads.

In 2016, a Public Health England School Journey Safety Guide cited that road collisions remain one of the main causes of premature death among children and young people aged 0-15, with 35% of child pedestrians killed or seriously injured (KSI) during what is typically classified as the ‘school run’.

Statistics suggest 28,000 people will be injured on roads in the Greater London Area this year, resulting in around 3,000 serious injuries or deaths.

In a bid to tackle the issue the charity has launched the ‘It’s a Jungle Out There’ campaign, which will provide families across London with a range of useful resources for both parents and children, and feature on popular social media platforms including Facebook.

Parents and carers will be targeted via popular social media platforms, including Facebook, with a series of five videos encouraging them to ‘have a chat about road safety’ before their child sets off on a new journey to secondary school.

Initially, the campaign will focus on 11 London Boroughs including Waltham Forest; City of Westminster; Richmond; Hounslow; Wandsworth; Barnet; Southwark; Havering; Ealing; Brent; Hillingdon.

Resources
  • Watch the It's a Jungle Out There videos below (or click here to watch via YouTube)
  • Click here to download the It's a Jungle Out There poster
  • Click here to download the It's a Jungle Out There booklet