Traffic And Road Safety - Highways Direct
Environment House
Lombard Sreet
West Bromwich
West Midlands
B70 8RU

Tel: 0121 569 4145
Fax: 0121 569 4015
Email: highways@sandwell.gov.uk
Website: www.stars.sandwell.gov.uk
Opening Hours: Monday - Thursday 8.30am - 5.30pm. Friday 8.30am - 5.00pm

Sandwell Road Safety Team

Sandwell's Road safety team provides education, training and publicity for residents across the Borough.

We are also responsible for the management and delivery of the school crossing patrol service.

For further information, please contact the Principal Road Safety Officer on 0121 569 4145 or email highways@sandwell.gov.uk. You can also complete our Road Safety Investigation Request form if you have a particular concern about road safety in your area.

Information on all our services and publications can be on the Sandwell Traffic and Road Safety website.

Current information relating to travel and traffic in the West Midlands is available on their website.

Road Safety Education

Learning to be safe on the roads is a life-long process. We visit pre-school groups and day nurseries to begin introducing very young children to the language of road safety. We have very close contacts with organisations such as Sure Start and Early Steps.

A great deal of our work is delivered in partnership with schools. When children join a school's Nursery class they receive a copy of "Letters in the snow". The book contains three road safety stories and is accompanied by a CD featuring the stories and four memorable songs. All nursery classes are encouraged to include road safety in their curriculum.

A full programme of activities and resources are available for schools to help children develop their road safety awareness from starting to finishing their school education. Sandwell's Road Safety team have a long record of producing award winning publications that help young people understand the dangers on the roads in a fun and educational way.

Key Stage one pupils may be offered the opportunity to participate in practical Pedestrian Skills Training. This training takes place at the roadside and gives children the chance to encounter real road situations in a controlled environment. The skills children learn through this training when practised over a lifetime should enable them to become safe independent pedestrians. However, it is always stressed that children of this age should never be near the road unaccompanied. For more information please telephone 0121 569 4116 or e-mail highways@sandwell.gov.uk.

During Key Stage 2, the focus moves to cycle training. It is anticiapted that Year 4 pupils will be offered the chance to take part in basic off-road cycle skills development. This will give pupils the opportunity to learn to ride a bicycle and develop the skills they will need to cycle on the roads. In Year 6, pupils are given the chance to participate in on-road Cycle Training. this is a basic course designed to give children confidence to cycle on the roads and to practice the routines they need to manoeuvre safely at junctions. For more information please telephone 0121 569 4284 or e-mail highways@sandwell.gov.uk.

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 the children more aware at this time a very successful magazine has been developed called "Move On Up". This magazine is given to every Year 7 pupil as they start their new school; it covers topics such as choosing a safe route and cycling. All Year 7 pupils are also visited by a Road Safety Officer as part of their PSHE programme. This visit further highlights the new dangers of independent travel.

As pupils progress through Secondary school, the focus changes again to the prospect of driving. A programme of pre-driver education is offered to pupils through Years 10, 11, 12 and 13. This programme includes Theatre in Education, the Fire Service and the Driving Standards Agency and aims to help young people develop a responsible attitude to driving and being a passenger. A key aspect of this programme is Rev.uk. This award-winning magazine aims to encourage young drivers to consider their behaviour on the road and introduces subjects such as driving lessons, insurance, buying a car and the tragedy that can follow when new drivers take to the road. This is delivered in highly appropriate language and format.

School Travel Plans

School Travel Plans (STPs) are the ideal way for schools to formalise their commitment to providing a safe, sustainable environment for their pupils. STPs identify the particular travel issues faced by a school and sets out to find practical solutions to reducing the congestion outside the school.

Through the STP process, schools can commit to pedestrian and cycle training as well as ensuring road safety eduction is present throughout the curriculum. Primary Schools may also wish to set up Walking Buses, Park and Stride schemes and other Walk to School initiatives. Secondary schools may wish to provide cycle storage to increase the number of pupils travelling to school by bicycle.

Capital grants are available to any school completing a qualifying STP. For further information telephone 0121 569 4727 or e-mail highways@sandwell.gov.uk.

In-Car Safety

We offer advice to parents regarding in-car safety for babies and young children through our leaflet "In Safe Hands". We can also check the fitting and suitability of child car restraints. Wider advice on seatbelts and the law is also available. Road Safety team also work in partnership with the Police to ensure that all car users are suitably restrained. For further information, telephone 0121 569 4284 or e-mail highways@sandwell.gov.uk.

Other Community Groups

We arrange visits for the elderly and distribute suitable resources. We also have a range of specially designed resources available for Asian-speaking communities. For more information, telephone 0121 569 4717 or e-mail highways@sandwell.gov.uk.