Barrow pupils get early lesson in road safety

Officers in Barrow have found an innovative way to get important road safety messages to local pupils - by giving them a 'licence' to drive a petrol powered go kart.

After successfully completing the safety checks and being issued with a 'licence', the pupils are able to drive the go kart on the school yard every Thursday evening after school. PC Huddart and teacher Mr Price monitor their driving and PC Huddart decides whether their licences should be kept clean or whether they should be endorsed with points for speeding, carelessness or failing to use safety equipment.

On Thursday 7th May, traffic PC Steve Wilson attended the school to assess the youngsters' driving skills and give them a talk on road safety. He then checked their speed and showed them his police car, radar, taser and stinger. All nine pupils completed five laps each and only one pupil accrued 3 points - for 'burning rubber' on his last corner.

PC Huddart said: "This initative has been very popular with the pupils since it started and aside from being good fun, the youngsters are learning about road safety which is essential for their future.

"It is up to the pupils to demonstrate that they are able to drive sensibly and within the law to ensure they keep a clean licence - and if our safety advice is ignored they are issued with points and when they get 12, their licences are removed.

"This gives them a realistic taster of what it is like to drive safely and their enthusiasm for the project is inspiring."