WITH daylight getting shorter and the nights drawing in, there is an increased risk for anyone using the county’s roads.

This is especially true for children, who are walking and cycling to and from school in the dark and are often unseen by motorists.

Now a team of young road users, working with Herefordshire Council, are keeping others safe by reminding them to ‘Be Bright, Be Seen’.

Year 6 pupils in a number of schools have already become Junior Road Safety Officers (JRSOs), but the council’s road safety team want more children to join.

The scheme aims to provide an interesting road safety stimulus to primary and junior schools through monthly contact with pupils, and promotes a different message each month – the theme for October being ‘Be Safe, Be Seen’.

JRSOs are sent information on each month’s road safety topic along with ideas on how to deliver the message and a selection of worksheets.

According to Department of Transport data, 1,899 child pedestrians and 522 child cyclists were killed or seriously injured nationally between October and December last year.

The majority of accidents happened from 8am to 9am and 3pm to 6pm, times when children are travelling to and from school.

Ann Mann, road safety officer for Herefordshire Council, said: “As road safety officers, it is part of our role to remind the children and their parents that it is important to be bright and be seen when they are outside during the winter months.”

She also urged drivers to be more considerate and not to blind other road users with their lights.

“There are more vehicles, especially HGVs, which are travelling along our roads with the front and rear fog lights on when the weather conditions are good and these lights are not necessary,” she said.

“In fact they could be breaking the law because these lights should only be used when visibility is seriously reduced.”

Councillor Brian Wilcox, the council’s cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: “We know the number of children killed or seriously injured on the roads is reducing each year and we want to continue to see these casualty figures going down.

“As far as I am concerned, one child killed or injured on Herefordshire roads is one too many.”

Schools can put forward two Year 6 pupils for the scheme. All new JRSOs get a badge, certificate and pencil, a programme of monthly topics, tips on how to speak in assemblies and run competitions, information on the scheme’s aims and a copy of Arrive Alive, a highway code for young road users.

Tips include: When it is dark, wear light and bright-coloured clothing, better still something reflective.

Put reflective strips on your bags or clothing.

During the day, if the weather is dull or misty wear something fluorescent.

Cyclists must, by law, have a working white light on the front and a red light and red reflector at the back of their bike. All lights and reflectors must be clean.