Road Safety

Spring Term Update | Road Safety Team

Since February Half Term, we have delivered road safety education at:

Banner Reveal Assemblies:

• All Saints C of E Primary School
• Brickhouse Primary School
• Grove Vale Primary School
• Pennyhill Primary School
• Springfield Primary School

Library Visits:

• Bleakhouse Library

Reception Walks:

• Rood End Primary School

Year 3 Child Pedestrian Safety Training (CPST):

• Hanbury Primary School
• Langley Primary School
• Lightwoods Primary Academy
• Newtown Primary School
• Rood End Primary School

Beep Beep! Day | 18th March

Beep Beep! Day is a national education initiative which teaches important road safety basics to young children. On 18th March, our road safety education officers visited Corngreaves Academy in Cradley Heath and Silvertrees Academy in Tipton. Children aged two to seven learnt about staying close to a trusted adult near roads, using safer crossing places, and travelling safely in vehicles by using appropriate child seats.

Please visit Brake to find out more about their campaigns.

Corporate Parenting Safeside Visit | 17th February

To promote independence and develop life skills for a group of 18 young people we care for (aged 11 to 17), Sandwell Council’s Road Safety Team worked with the Voice Team from Sandwell Children’s Trust to organise a visit to Safeside Centre at Eastside in Birmingham.

The West Midlands Fire Service centre features an immersive, full-size indoor safety village including a life-size bus and train carriage. During the visit, young people learnt about future careers in the fire service, road and travel safety, water safety and staying safe in the home.

One young person said: “It was fun to be at the safety village to learn about safety being at home and outside. I can’t believe they had a train, bus, canal, shops, house and police station all under one roof.”

A member of the Voice Team said: “We want to take more groups to the Safeside Centre. It is a good way of learning for children and young people in a fun, live interactive way. All the children and young people enjoyed the two-hour session, with some even asking questions at the end on how to become a firefighter. The staff there were brilliant and the council’s Road Safety Team were amazing organising the event from start to finish.”

Please visit West Midlands Fire Service to find out more about their Safeside learning centre.

Spring Term Update | Bikeability

Bikeability have announced the results of their latest prize draw. The winner received a £300 Amazon voucher in total for taking part in Bikeability training in Feburary.

Congratulations Grace Mary Primary School!

Well done to Lyng Primary School, Ocker Hill Academy, Shireland Hall Primary Academy, St Margaret’s C of E Primary School and Summerhill Primary Academy, as they achieved 80% and above attendance and were entered into the £250 draw.

Well done to Al Khair School, Grace Mary Primary School, Ocker Hill Academy, Old Park Primary School, Ryders Green Primary School, Shireland Hall Primary Academy, St Mary Magdalene C of E Voluntary Controlled Primary School and Summerhill Primary Academy, as they achieved 95% and above attendance, automatically received a £50 voucher and were entered into the £250 draw.

Please visit Bikeability to find out more about their training programme.

Taxing Your Vehicle on Time 'Nobody Wins' | DVLA

The latest DVLA campaign reminds us of the importance of taxing your vehicles on time. It is led by ‘Clampy’, a down-on-his-luck talking wheel clamp, which focus on the disruption and consequences felt by drivers who have their vehicle clamped for failing to tax it. The DVLA remind motorists when their vehicle tax is due and only clamp untaxed vehicles as a last resort.

Remember:

It’s quick and easy to tax your vehicle online, so don’t take the risk.

• You can tax your vehicle at any time using DVLA’s online service or by calling 0300 123 4321 – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
• You can choose to receive vehicle tax reminders by text or email through DVLA’s Driver and vehicles account.
• You can pay by Direct Debit, which helps make sure you stay on top of renewals and lets you spread the cost if you want to.

Please visit DVLA to find out more.

Driving Test Booking Rules Update and Ready to Pass | DVSA

From Spring 2026, the rules for booking and managing car driving tests will change. The new rules will mean that, as a learner driver:

From 31st March 2026, you can only make 2 changes to your existing booking, e.g., changing the date or time, the test centre and swapping your appointment with another learner driver who already has a test booked. You will only be allowed to move your test to centres near to where you originally booked.

• From 12th May 2026, it will be against the law for anyone other than the learner driver to book, change or cancel a car driving test, including driving instructors and third-party services.
• From 9th June 2026, learner drivers will only be able to move their test to one of the 3 nearest test centres to where their test is booked.
• If you need to make more changes after you have used your 2 changes, you will have to cancel your test and book a new one.

From 2026, car and motorcycle theory tests will include new cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) questions to boost cardiac arrest survival. This means that hundreds of thousands of people annually will gain knowledge of life-saving skills through the enhanced questions.

Please visit DVSA to find out more about the changes and their Ready to Pass campaign.

Autumn Term Update | Living Streets

Living Streets have published the results of their Autumn 2025 WOW Top Ten Challenge and we are pleased to announce that four schools in Sandwell featured in the Midlands Top Ten Leaderboard.

Congratulations to Abbey Junior School, Yew Tree Primary School, Abbey Infant School and Wednesbury Oak Academy.

Well done to everyone who took part!

This challenge enables schools to compete regionally and nationally with the aim of topping the WOW Top Ten Leaderboards. It boosts engagement and increases walking rates to support pupils’ health and wellbeing while helping to reduce congestion and pollution.

All Saints C of E Primary School invited Living Streets to have a WOW stand at their parents evening. This provided the opportunity for productive conversations with parents, pupils and staff regarding incorporating walking to school into their morning routine.

They were able to connect with others who already walk so that children could walk to school together. Teachers and children also chatted about their excitement of receiving badges and how walking to school has reduced lateness with some pupils as they are not stuck in traffic.

Hargate Primary School and Harvills Hawthorn Primary School are the latest schools to join the Living Streets programme.

Please visit Living Streets to find out more about their campaigns.

Too Close for Comfort? Stay Safe, Stay Back and Have a Safe T.R.I.P. | National Highways

The latest National Highways campaign reminds us of the consequences of tailgating and the importance of maintaining a safe following distance of at least two seconds. By doing this, you actively reduce the risk of collisions and ensure a more comfortable and secure experience for every driver, cyclist, and pedestrian using the road.  

Remember:

• Driving too close to the vehicle in front creates a sense of pressure for the other driver and evokes the same unsettling feelings as standing unnecessarily close to someone in everyday life. 
• To use the two-second rule, pick a fixed point ahead like a bridge or sign. When the vehicle in front passes it, say to yourself ‘only a fool breaks the 2-second rule’. If you reach that same point before you finish counting, you're too close – slow down to create more space.
• To double this gap in wet weather and increase it even more when it's icy for safe stopping, e.g., four seconds. Motorcycles and large vehicles, such as HGVs, will need a greater distance to stop safely.

Don’t get too close for comfort. Stay Safe, Stay Back

They also want everyone to be safe on the roads this spring. As the days get longer and the weather starts to improve, we will be planning longer journeys. But with the number of breakdowns on motorways and major A roads continuing to rise, it’s more important than ever to carry out your Safe T.R.I.P. Checks before setting off. 

Before you travel, plan your route, check the weather forecast, and keep an eye on traffic updates or delays. Spring weather conditions can still be unpredictable, e.g., rain, snow and ice. Taking a few minutes to prepare before you set off can help prevent breakdowns, reduce disruption and keep everyone moving safely this spring. 

So, remember T.R.I.P.:

T: Top-up fuel, check your oil and screen-wash, ensure you are charged

R: Rest every 2 hours for at least 15 minutes

I: Inspect your lights, tyre tread and pressure (Replace your tyres if the tread is less than 1.6mm)

P: Prepare for the weather and check your route before setting off

Please visit National Highways to find out more about their campaigns.

Don’t Put Drugs in the Driving Seat and Drink a Little, Risk a Lot | THINK!

The latest ‘THINK!’ campaigns from the Department for Transport remind drivers of the risks and consequences of drug driving and drink driving. Drug driving can impact your night, your life and your future, as well as the risk of injuring yourself or others. Driving on drugs isn’t worth it. Leave the car, call your mate, get home safe.

THINK! Don’t put drugs in the driving seat.

They are also challenging perceptions around personal limits by raising awareness that even a little bit of alcohol can put you and your licence at risk. THINK! 0% is a new platform that encourages drivers to always opt for 0% over an alcoholic drink if they are getting behind the wheel. You can set new and safer habits without missing out on good times.

Don’t take the risk, THINK! 0%.

Please visit THINK! to find out more about their campaigns.

Digital Road Safety

Digital Road Safety is still available completely free of charge for all Sandwell schools. Research shows that children learn road safety best by being immersed in the environment.

Following recognised pedestrian training techniques, children view the roadside from the unique viewpoint of the pedestrian and by looking right and left they are in a tangible situation.

Visit Digital Road Safety and get started!

Coming soon! 

A new app-based version with new content for KS1 and Year 6. Why not contact us if you would like to be one of the first to get involved.

Help us to pilot this new exciting resource. For more information email Road_Safety@sandwell.gov.uk

Record, Report, Result! Operation Snap | West Midlands Police

West Midlands Police want to make sure our roads are as safe as possible for all users, and they need your help with Operation Snap.

Did you know you can now send footage of dangerous drivers to West Midlands Police, so that action can be taken?

Each piece of footage, whether recorded on a dashcam, CCTV or a mobile phone held by a passenger, is reviewed by specially trained staff. If an offence is identified, the driver can be prosecuted or told to take a driver improvement course.

Offences might include:

• dangerous driving
• using a mobile phone while driving
• not wearing a seatbelt
• failing to stop at a red traffic light
• using a trailer in lane three of a motorway
• crossing solid white lines
• other offences where a driver is clearly not in proper control of a vehicle

Thousands of people have already sent in dashcam, helmet cam and mobile footage showing careless and reckless driving that puts lives at risk.

Four in five reports sent in by the public have resulted in a positive outcome, including warning letters, education courses, fixed penalties and prosecution.

Reports must be submitted within 10 days of the alleged offence and footage should include the whole incident (and, wherever possible, one minute prior to and after the offence).

Along with the footage, submissions need to include details about the date, time and location of the incident, and the registration, make and colour of the vehicle.

If you are reporting an incident that involves a collision, please do not use this service. Instead, please call West Midlands Police on 101, select option 1 and provide details within 24 hours of the collision taking place.

Submit your footage here.