Road Safety

Road Safety Education in Argyll and Bute

The Road Safety Unit provides education, training and publicity for residents across Argyll and Bute.  For further information, please contact the Road Safety Unit on 01546 604182 or e-mail road.safety@argyll-bute.gov.uk.

Early Years

Learning to be safe on the roads is a life-long process.  We work in partnership with pre-school groups and nurseries to begin introducing very young children to the language of road safety.  All groups have access to ‘Go Safe! – Ziggy’s Road Safety Mission’ – the pioneering new road safety approach aimed at children from birth to six and their parents and carers.  For more information on this please visit www.gosafewithziggy.com.

Primary Education

A huge amount of work is delivered through our primary schools.  A full programme of activities and resources are available for schools to help children develop their road safety awareness.  Practical training in the form of pedestrian training and cyclist training takes place giving children the chance to encounter real road situations in a controlled environment.  If these skills are practised over a lifetime then this should enable them to become safe independent road users.  All schools have access to the comprehensive road safety resource Streetsense 2 and www.streetsense2.com .  These are linked to the Curriculum for Excellence and are designed to provide a full programme of road safety for Early, First and Second level stages.

Road Safety Calendar Competition

Every year all our primary schools are invited to take part in the Classroom Calendar Competition asking pupils to produce a suitable header for our annual calendar. You can find out more information about the competition, including how primary pupils can enter for the 2013 competition, on the Road Safety Calendar Competition page.

Secondary Education

It has been recognised that one of the most dangerous stages in a child’s development is the transition from Primary to Secondary school.  To make children more aware at this time we use Theatre in Education to get this message over in an innovative way.  All schools use ‘Your Call’ (S1-S3) and ‘Crash Magnets’ (S4-6) – resources which engage young people in the issues related to cycling, distraction in the road environment and being a newly qualified driver with friends as passengers.

In Car Safety

We offer advice to parents regarding in-car safety for babies and young children.  We can also check the fitting and suitability of child car restraints.  For further information please contact 01546 604182. 

Car Seat Clinics

The Road Safety Unit ran car seat clinics in Oban, Helensburgh and Dunoon during August where parents and carers could come along and get expert advice and information about the correct fitting of child car seats. Of the 58 seats that were checked only 18% were compatible with the child and were fitted correctly.  Many faults included buckle crunch, incorrect routing of the seatbelt or harness being fitted wrongly.

If you would like more information on car seats and in-car safety, please contact the Road Safety Team on 01546 604182 or log onto www.protectchild.co.uk

Young Drivers

The Argyll and Bute Council Road Safety Team in partnership with DRIVESafe in Argyll and Bute, are pleased to be offering a grant of £75.00 to new drivers completing the Pass Plus Scheme.

Pass Plus is an additional course aimed at new drivers living in Argyll and Bute who would like to further improve their confidence and driving skills after passing their practical test. It was designed by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) with the help of insurers and the driving instruction industry.

You can find out more details about what the course involves, how to find a registered instructor and apply for the grant on our Pass Plus page.

Travelling Safely

If you are planning a journey by car, bike or as a pedestrian throughout Argyll and Bute you can find some useful information to keep you safe along the way.