Walton on Thames children make motorists think
By MIKENEWS | Tuesday, February 15, 2011, 17:24
Pupils from Ashley Church of England Primary School, Walton on Thames have taken part in a successful school speed watch event.
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It is hoped that after the discussions with the children the motorists in Walton on Thames will drive in a more responsible manner and will be more aware of their speed in future. One driver was given a verbal warning for speed and one fixed penalty notice was issued for speeding.
The clamp down was part of the ongoing Drive SMART campaign by Surrey Police and Surrey County Council to target motorists who drive in an anti-social manner.
The event took place between 9.30am and midday in Ashley Road, Walton. The aim of the initiative was to educate drivers that the 30 mph limit is there for good reason and to encourage them to slow down.
The children, who wore yellow tabards, assisted police by operating the speed detection device to catch speeding motorists with the help of Elmbridge Casualty Reduction Officer, PC Jane Eames, representatives from Surrey County Council and local neighbourhood officers.
In total 40 drivers were stopped for speeding and were given the opportunity to take part in roadside education as an alternative to prosecution. This involved the children taking turns to interview the drivers who asked probing questions as to why they were driving so fast outside their school.
It is hoped that after the discussions with the children the motorists will drive in a more responsible manner and will be more aware of their speed in future. One driver was given a verbal warning for speed and one fixed penalty notice was issued for speeding.
PC Jane Eames said: “Drive SMART is a force wide campaign designed to educate road users about the dangers anti-social and inconsiderate driving can pose and this event was planned to make sure drivers got this message. The school speed watch scheme is an example of Surrey Police working in partnership to make Surrey’s roads safer.
“The children really enjoyed the time they spent with the officers and it gave us an ideal opportunity to educate children about road safety as well as raising awareness amongst drivers about the dangers of speeding around schools.”
Comments
What a fantastic initiative by Surrey Police. I am constantly amazed by how fast people drive down roads where there are schools, parks or residential areas where you know children will be out playing. In recent weeks children have been hit outside a school in Weybridge and in Ottershaw. Fortunately the children were not badly hurt but it's only a matter of time before some poor child is seriously injured or, heaven forbid, killed by people driving way above the speed limit. I think this was a great thing for the police and local children to do. I would be totally humiliated if I got pulled over for speeding and then asked by children why I was putting their lives at risk - I just hope those people who were pulled over were suitably chastised and will think twice about driving too fast in the future.
By MelBattams at 14:06 on 20/02/11
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