Nairn boy is a winner during Child Safety Week

Three year old Logan Urquhart of Nairn is the winner of a Children’s Traffic Club in Scotland colouring competition.

In April this year, Logan received a Children’s Traffic Club information pack at his local nursery which he took home and enjoyed with his Dad.

The Children’s Traffic Club is for 3 to 4 year olds and their parents or carers. It helps children learn road safety skills in a fun and structured way. Members,  receive a series of six books through the post - one every three months - together with stickers, competitions and a child's membership certificate.

It was Logan’s colouring-in picture in “My Book 1” that attracted the judges  and won him a children’s traffic club t-shirt for his efforts.

To mark Logan’s achievement and to help promote the Children’s Traffic Club during Child Safety Week 18th – 24th June, Nicky Marr of Moray Firth Radio will met Logan and his Dad tomorrow.

Nicky Marr said: “It’s a sobering fact that many more children are killed in road accidents than by family members or strangers. Teaching young kids how to stay safe when they are out walking or playing is crucial, but it can be hard to do it in a fun way without just saying don’t all the time. My own girls were lucky enough to join the children traffic club when they were at pre-school nursery, it taught them the basics of road sense in a fun and accessible way, and the booklets and stickers gave us loads to talk about at home.
 
“It’s hard to watch your kids grow up. The first time they cross the road without your hand or walk home from school on their own your heart is in your mouth, but you can’t wrap them in cotton wool. Teaching them road sense keeps them safe – the Children’s Traffic club is a great way to do that.”

Lisa MacKellaich, Highland Council’s Road Safety Officer said: “Instilling road safety awareness and practises in children from a young age is a basic life skill that must never be underestimated. The Children’s Traffic Club is a very useful tool that helps parents and carers teach the under fives about road safety in a way that is understood by their age group.”

Laura Fisher, Northern Constabulary Force Road Safety Officer said: “Northern Constabulary encourages parents and carers to sign up to the Children’s Traffic Club Scotland.  This is a free resource for all 3-5 year olds in Scotland and an ideal way of teaching children the basic road safety message before they start school. The CTCS help’s  parents and carers give their child the best possible start as a pedestrian, keeping them safe whilst out and about. The skills they learn will stay with them for life!”

The Children's Traffic Club fully support the government's target to reduce fatal and serious child casualties by 50% by the year 2010.

The Traffic Club targets under 5’s as developmental psychological findings, which show that most personality traits and life-long habits are set by the age of 5. It is during this period that an intervention programme like The Children's Traffic Club, has a strong chance of not only short term, but also long term success.

The objectives of The Children's Traffic Club are to:
• reduce casualty rates for the targeted age group;
• influence long term behaviour of children who become members;
• increase parents' awareness of road safety issues and to give them knowledge of safe practices; and
• indirectly benefit other members of the family, such as older children and parents themselves.

Further information on the Children’s Traffic Club in Scotland and Child Safety Week is available on the internet at: http://www.trafficclub.co.uk/  and http://www.capt.org.uk/csweek/default.htm.

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