A primary school has stepped up their efforts to abolish speeding in their village by conducting a community speedwatch.
Barlow C of E Primary School’s Junior Road Safety Officers, Elizabeth and Leighton, spent the morning catching drivers off guard using radar speed guns.
The year five pupils teamed up with North Yorkshire Traffic Police and Selby Central Community Engagement Forum (CEF) speed watch team, who started working in the village and in Brayton last year.
Elizabeth and Leighton recorded how many vehicles went past the school, their details, their speed, and also got the opportunity to capture footage from inside a police safety camera van.
Jamie Smith from North Yorkshire Police Traffic Bureau said: “It’s great to see the JRSOs so passionate about road safety for their school and their village. Thank you to both the JRSOs that attended today alongside members from the local community speed watch and members of staff from the school.
“During the session, we captured 0 offences which is a brilliant result and shows that the presence of those who are monitoring the speed limit is effective. The children then had the opportunity to have a look around one of our safety camera vans and gain a greater understanding of to how they work for them to pass on this information to others.”
Selby Central CEF project manager Anthony Wray explained that any motorists caught during a community speedwatch are sent a warning letter by the police, and if they are caught three times, action can be taken.
To educate their peers on road safety, Elizabeth and Leighton will be speaking in an assembly about their speedwatch, which are being conducted by 78 teams across North Yorkshire.
Natalie Collins, teacher and mentor of the JRSOs said: “As part of the JRSO scheme, we thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to meet with Selby Central CEF and the North Yorkshire Traffic Police. It is extremely important to teach the children about all aspects of road safety and this meeting has provided them with a fantastic opportunity to gain a deeper understanding and a chance to operate the equipment! The children will follow up this meeting with a whole school assembly to pass on the valuable information they gather from today.”
