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30 April 2008
Lollipop cameras help to back up school crossing patrols
A leading national road safety body has welcomed the introduction of cameras at school crossing patrols to help save lives and make roads safer.
Kirklees Council in West Yorkshire is mounting mini cameras on school crossing patrol ‘lollipops’, one facing forwards and the other facing backwards. It is the first time that cameras have been mounted on patrol signs in this way.
Simon Ettinghausen Press and PR Officer for LARSOA, the Local Authority Road Safety Officers' Association, said: “This is an interesting new idea and anything that can help save lives and make our roads safer is worth looking at, but it’s important to remember that this is about saving lives, not preventing anti-social behaviour – we find the vast majority of motorists are very supportive of the traditional lollipop patrol, and introducing cameras like this won’t change that.
“Our members employ school crossing patrols across the country, and they work hard to stop traffic to help any pedestrians cross the road, not just children. This provides a vital service to some of the most vulnerable members of society and is an important part of helping keep our roads safe.”
He added: “Our research shows that school crossing patrols enjoy their jobs and find it highly satisfying to be playing such an important role. All patrols are highly trained to do their jobs as safely as possible, and are given protective high-visibility clothing and, where required, warning lights.
Notes to Newsdesks/Reporters: For further information please contact Peter Whelan Jnr on 01287 610404 or 07983 288 388
ABOUT LARSOA
LARSOA is a national road safety organisation representing road safety officers (RSOs) employed in local government across the UK.
LARSOA represents 185 of the 200 eligible local authorities across the UK, assisting RSOs to fulfil their statutory role to reduce the number and severity of road casualties through education, training and publicity programmes.
LARSOA publishes an up-to-date round-up of road safety news from across the UK on its website www.larsoa.org.uk .
LARSOA also aims to influence national debate - government policy and action together with public opinion. The association works to achieve national recognition for road safety issues, commissions research into behaviour which contributes to road collisions and develops national road safety campaigns.
The association assists in identifying achievable national targets to reduce the number of collisions on the country's roads. |
