Our Road to 4,000 Signatures
Global Road Safety Week was from May 4-10, 2015. Safe Kids Worldwide took part in the UN #SaveKidsLives campaign, which included delivering the Child Declaration on Road Safety to policy makers. We enlisted the help of our local coalitions to get signatures for the Declaration. One coalition went above and beyond, adding an amazing 4,000 signatures to the Child Declaration. Kim Karpovich of Safe Kids Union County, NC won our domestic contest for the most signatures. It is such an amazing accomplishment, and we’re so proud of the work Kim and her team has done. We asked Kim to write a quick blog on how they spread the word about road safety.
– Kristin Rosenthal, Program Manager, U.S. Pedestrian & Bike Safety
Every day, more than 500 children are killed in a road traffic collision, and tens of thousands are injured. Global Road Safety is important, and we need to work together to make roads safer for children.
As part of the #SaveKidsLives campaign, Safe Kids Union County joined together with our community partners, including Fire Departments, Local Law Enforcement, Union County Health Department, Carolinas HealthCare System Union, and local officials to raise awareness and keep kids safe on the road. Together, we shared the Child Declaration to teach children about the importance of road safety and how to stay safe on our roads.
In partnership with the Union County Public Schools, we set up a “Safie” station for the children arriving at school in the morning. We had each child create a message using the “Safie” signboard and take photos to post on Facebook. We also hung the Scholastic posters in school hallways and classrooms. We reached two elementary schools and two middle schools where the declaration was read over the loud speaker. Each teacher would go over the Scholastic lesson plan in class and answer any questions the students had about the declaration. We then had students sign the Child Declaration. In addition, we had two community events with local business owners and children where we talked about the dangers of driving while distracted.
In total, we collected almost 4,000 signatures for #SaveKidsLives. As part of our campaign, we distributed Bell bike helmets and FedEx reflectors to children in need in Union County.
Global Road Safety is something that everyone needs to join together to help protect our kids on the road. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of children around the world.
