As parents, we worry a lot about our children. Especially as they grow, and we can’t or aren’t cool enough to be there to hold their hands anymore. That anxious feeling is often heightened when it comes to road safety.
And it is completely valid to feel that way. On average, six children are killed or seriously injured on roads in Britain every day. That’s equivalent to a whole class of children every single week
What’s more, the Transportation Research Board found that 1 in 4 of road incidents involving children occur between the hours of 3pm and 7pm. A prime time when kids are walking home from school, football practice or an after-school club; and with the darker months approaching, visibility becomes a bigger issue.
The average speed limit in the UK for a road near a school is 20 mph. A car travelling at that speed takes almost 3 car lengths to come to a complete stop. According to the road safety charity Brake, 67% of West Midlands drivers admitted speeding. If those that were taking risks were driving at double the speed limit (40mph), the stopping distance increases to 8 car lengths. The stopping distances increase the faster drivers go, but often the time it takes to stop are overlooked.
The Million Mile Light was originally designed as a road safety tool for runners, by inventor Tom Lawton. However, due to the hypersensitive nature, it soon became clear that it could be used to keep walkers visible too. When Tom became a dad and had his own children, he became aware of how treacherous the daily walk to school was. So, he set to work to create a kids edition. It still is powered by motion, with no nasty batteries and works with your child’s natural rhythm to create an ultra bright pulse of light to keep them seen up to 200 metres away (that’s 44 car lengths). Even if they walk really, really slowly.
This is why we’re launching our Be Safe, Be Seen Road Safety Campaign. We want to help grownups like yourselves to equip your little ones with the tools and knowledge they need to cross the road safely.
Our campaign is designed to provide a multi-level approach to road safety. As we believe that we not only need to educate our children but should be encouraging drivers to take their fair share of responsibility to be more aware when near areas that are heavily populated with kids.
Join us on our mission to shine a light on road safety. You can follow along with the campaign via our socials where we’ll be sharing more information, top tips, advice and offers!
Be Safe, Be Seen. The Million Mile Light Team.