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Pupils get designing to slow cars down

Pupils at Queen Elizabeth School, Atherstone, have taken part in a poster competition to highlight their concerns about the speed of traffic on Witherley Road, Atherstone.

The idea of the poster competition was put forward by the School Council to accompany the SpeedAware initiative in the area around their school. The two posters which give the strongest message to motorists were chosen to be developed into temporary signs to be displayed near the school.

The two lucky winners of the competition both received a full sized copy of the final version of their poster along with their prizes.

Warwickshire County Council is committed to ensuring the safety of children on Warwickshire’s roads. The County Council operates a number of initiatives within the county to ensure the safety of children on the roads.

There are more than 120 school crossing patrols helping thousands of children reach school safely every school day. Cycle proficiency courses and the Kerbsafe scheme enable children to use the roads and areas along the highways more safely.

Unfortunately one of the major causes of accidents on the roads is driver behaviour and speed plays a major part in this. The County Council aims to educate drivers to the dangers of speed and encourage them to slow down.

The SpeedAware initiative uses a combination of temporary flashing signs and publicity material such as leaflets and posters to persuade motorists to observe the speed limits and drive at lower, safer speeds.

The posters will be displayed on Witherley Road, B4116, in Atherstone from 15 October 2007.

Warwickshire County Councillor, Richard Grant, said,

“It is unfortunate that not all motorists drive at speeds which are safe and as a result they put themselves and others at risk.

“It’s great to work with QE School Council on the road safety issues outside their school in Witherley Road.

“Pupils have put a lot of effort into producing the posters. I hope that motorists who use the road will think more about the impact that their speed has on the children as well as adults and slow down!”

To see the winning entries and the final versions of the signs visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roadsafety.

Ends

Media contact:  Richard Harkin 01926 414162

PDFs show the two winning entrants.  Please be mindful of showing the two winners’ names if you publish these.