Death Of Child Inspires High Visibility Jacket Donation To School

The death of a five-year-old child in a crash while walking home from primary school in December has led to the donation of hundreds of high visibility jackets to local children.

According to the Bournemouth Echo, father Mike Trimby – whose son has just started at Winton Primary School – was moved to donate child-sized vests to make sure that children in the area have the necessary protection and allow people to see them as they make their way to school and back.

He said he gave his two children the vests and thought they looked cute, adding: “I noticed that very few kids wear hi vis jackets. If you go out early in the morning you see so many adults wearing them, and there are even hi vis dog leads and dog jackets, but not for kids. I thought it was a bit crazy.”

This comes after the Department for Transport launched a new campaign for road safety in a bid to reduce the number of child fatalities on roads around the UK. A video has been made with a road safety song to help people get to school safely, whether it’s by foot, on a scooter or bike, or in a car.

But investing in high vis clothes is a really good way of making sure that children can be seen, especially at this time of year when the days are short and the nights long. Road safety should always be prioritised, particularly for younger children – but you also need to provide them with the equipment they need, as well as ensuring that they’re streetwise.