Campaign to help school crossing officers

A safety campaign is being launched to help protect school crossing patrol officers.
The county council’s road safety unit is launching a ‘Stop Means Stop’ campaign following an increased number of incidents involving motorists failing to stop for lollipop men and women.
Starting in September to coincide with the new school term, the “Stop Means Stop” initiative is aimed at some drivers who fail to stop or are rude and abusive to school crossing patrols.
The campaign will be backed up with radio advertising, school banners, posters and leaflets.
Road safety manager Keith Griffiths said: “School crossing patrol officers play a vital role by ensuring school children are provided with a safe route to and from school. They should be able to do this without fear of intimidation and threatening behaviour from some inconsiderate motorists.
“The school crossing patrol team are amongst the most committed group of people that continue to play a very important role in keeping our community a safe and friendly place. The message is quite simple. All road users must stop when a school crossing patrol officer asks them to do so.
“Drivers should allow a little extra journey time if their route takes them through a patrolled area - and be prepared to slow down and stop when requested to do so by a patrol officer."
School crossing patrols were established in the UK in 1954 to assist children cross the road on their way to or from school safely. The famous ‘lollipop stick’ was designed so that details of a vehicle which failed to stop for the school crossing patrol could be chalked on the black panel on the stick head. These details were then forwarded to the local police for them to progress.
Today, every school crossing patrol officer is issued with a notebook to record detailed information about any motorist that fails to stop or continues to drive by when it is obvious that the patrol officer has asked them to stop from the side of the road.
They are encouraged to make a note of the registration number, make, model and colour of vehicle, time of the incident and gender of the driver. Whilst the method may have changed in recent times, the information is still forwarded onto Dyfed Powys Police so they can take appropriate action.