Children put on road to safety

CITY of Casey mayor Kevin Bradford officially opened Cranbourne’s latest state-of-the-art facility, the Road Safety Education Centre, on Monday, in a move designed to help educate children on road safety.
“The Road Safety Education Centre is about giving our children as good an education in road safety as we can, in a fun and controlled environment,” Cr Bradford said.
The facility, complete with a classroom, provides a real-life scale version of Victorian roads, complete with roundabouts, traffic lights, and school and railway crossings that enable children to practise their road safety skills without the danger of vehicles.
Victoria Police District Inspector Robert Hill has commended the facility and he believes that it will make a significant contribution to educating the community on road safety issues.
The centre aims to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists, predominantly in the five-to-10 age bracket, in the City of Casey and surrounding areas.
It also aims to reduce the amount of traffic on the road, by encouraging children to walk and ride to and from school.
This encouragement will come through Pedestrian Safety and Bike Ed programs and education on the long-term health benefits that come with increased exercise.
“As parents and as those who care for children, this is about making as sure as possible that our children know the road rules when they head off on their bikes or as pedestrians, know what to expect from motorists, and understand what is expected of them around roads,” Cr Bradford said.
The program will be trialed by local schools before becoming fully operational by February next year.
There are only a few traffic schools in Melbourne, with centres at Kew, Essendon and Dandenong.
The Road Safety Education Centre is located at the Casey Indoor Leisure Complex, 65 Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Cranbourne East.