Poetry to help youngsters ‘under-stanza’ road safety

Youngsters from across the Cambridgeshire are being encouraged to have the ‘rhyme of their lives’ by learning about road safety through a new poetry book, ‘Road Rhymes’ -which was launched by Cambridgeshire County Council as part of National Road Safety Week.

The book has been put together by the Council’s RSOs and local poet, Stella Dunsten. It features poems about cycling safely, crossing the road and about the dangers of traffic. It also features riddles to get the children to think about the types of things they may encounter on their journeys.

A copy of the book is being given to all primary schools in the county to help raise awareness of road safety issues among children.

"We are constantly looking for new ways to the get the road safety message across to children," says RSO Lyn Hesse. "It is hoped that this book will be used in literacy hour and will help teach children about many aspects of road safety, thus ensuring they are more aware of the dangers of traffic."

"Children are particularly vulnerable road users and it is essential to teach them valuable life skills such as the green cross code and safer cycling to help to make journeys safer," she added.