Start them young

[dougc]

[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/4076818.stm[/url]

Speechless.

[parrot of doom]

I saw this done on a programme once, and it seemed quite sensible - given the location of the speed checks on a difficult road outside a primary school.

[dougc]

Just strikes me as a publicity stunt along the lines of "won't someone think of the children?"

Its about 60 odd kids from a junior school in Berkshire that somehow makes the front page of the BBC UK news page! The wording of the article is awful too:

BBC said:

Year Six pupils from College Town Junior School in Sandhurst, Berkshire, are the latest weapon used by Thames Valley Police in the fight on speeding.

Used as a weapon! I'd be livid if I found out my child was being used as propoganda.

[targarama]

If they get into the car after school and tell Mummy or Daddy to slow down when they're speeding this is a good thing. I don't think it will give kids an 'attitude' against speeding in safer circumstances. When I was a kid I'd have loved to get a chance to play with a copper's gadgets (ooer).

[cliffe_mafia]

Seems a bit dangerous to me... having kids standing on the hard shoulder of the M4

[Mr Whippy]

Erm, best to have the police tell the kids how dangerous roads are and treat with respect.

No, they have the kids being given this sense of superiority and drivers *should* take heed of their presence.

No, thats the ideal. However, to "assume" is the mother of all fu*k ups.

No matter how safe drivers are, mistakes happen, even below the limit or at "safe" speeds.

Kids should be learning respect, not whinging on about getting run over. If they used the green cross code they should never be at risk!

Dave

[Dougie.]

I have to say I would be most unimpressed with being lectured on 'speed' by some children. Hmmph. When I was about that age the highlight of the week was being taken out in my cousins modified mk2 Escort or going to the football in my Dad's mate's Cav SRi, in between trying to drive my mountain bike as fast as I possibly could.

[randlemarcus]

Hows about the little darlings coming out and saying"Mummy, my teacher says you need to not bring the chelsea tractor into school, and we should all walk, because you could do with losing a few pounds, you bloater?"

Do we think those words would work?

[supraman2954]

I would take the opportunity to educate them on real road safety: "don't step out into the road without looking otherwise your brains will be squished out of your eye sockets". With that one sentence I’ll have contributed more to road safety than the officers efforts for the day.

I would even go as far as asking the children how much road safety education they have received, whilst making sure the officers can hear me.

Bloody cheek!

[havoc]

If I was a parent I would be kicking up hell with the school if my kid had been "loaned out" to the police.

[tim.tonal]

Bring back the Tufty Club!!

[autismuk]

Were they actually at school at the time I wonder ?

If so, I'd go ing mental.

[8Pack]

Are these the same children who stroll lazyly into your path as you approach, daring you to hit them?

Now we know why they have this opinion that they are "always right" and the motorist is "always wrong"!

That nice Policeman has told them so!

[WildCat]

They would do far better to teach them how to use the Green Cross Code than waste their time like this.

On the day when I read in the papers that Ken Livingstone has gone off on one over use of digital cameras in public places and how kiddy fiddlers are turned on by any child walking around und so was und so was - und wants to ban photography in Hyde Park or something - we then have kids subjected to ticking off naughty drivers. If ist case as Livingstone seems to think that sad ... get some absurd kicks - ist not over the top reaction to think that a genuine perve may deliberately drive past for "thrill of being ticked off by a kiddy". Ist a dangerous practice then.

But back to the topic - my own rogues would play up Ist always question of crossing where safe to do - und contrary to popular myth - children do not run out of school straight into road way. They cross roads at some distances away from school gate on way home anyway. Thus - inappropriate teaching method und waste of resources in any case.