Road Safety

Kerbcraft

Kerbcraft is a national scheme, funded by Welsh Government. It aims to teach Year One and/or Year Two pupil’s vital pedestrian skills, to aid the reduction of Child Pedestrian accidents. Training is carried out at the roadside by a member of the Road Safety Team.

Currently there are 43 primary schools throughout Pembrokeshire involved in the scheme. The project, which has been heralded by one Head Teacher as 'a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness on road safety in Pembrokeshire', continues to receive enthusiastic support from parents, staff and members of the communities in which the training sessions take place. 

Kerbcraft was developed by a team of Psychologists at Strathclyde University who designed the programme to teach 5-7 year olds three vital skills: Choosing safe places and routes; Crossing safely at parked cars and crossing safely at junctions.  Parents, however, are reminded that an adult should always accompany children of this age when walking near or crossing roads. 

1. Choosing safe places and routes to cross the road - Children are helped to recognize the dangers and hazards and identify alternative crossing places. 
2. Crossing safely at parked cars - Children are taught how to use a safe strategy for crossing near parked cars when avoiding them is impossible. 
3. Crossing safely at Junctions - Children are introduced to the problems of simple and complex junctions, and are taught a strategy for looking in all directions. 

Each skill is practiced at several different locations, over a 9 week period. Road safety trainers work with very small groups of children and help them to develop their observational skills and decision-making processes by training at the roadside. The children wear high visibility tabards and hold hands with the trainers throughout.

If you are a parent, teacher or school governor and want to find out more about starting Kerbcraft in your school, please contact the Road Safety Team road.safety@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

If you are home educating and would like to introduce Kerbcraft at home, we have put together a 'Kerbcraft at Home' pack, which will provide you with information on how to deliver Kerbcraft training for your children.

Highway Code - Rules for Pedestrians (opens in a new tab)