During 2007, Northern Ireland's roads claimed the lives of five children - a vast improvement on two years previously when the death toll stood at fifteen.

However, this is of little consolation to those who have lost a child and in the same period many more children were injured, some seriously.

Teachers are very well aware of the important role to be played by schools in the area of road safety. One such school is Fivemiletown Primary where road safety education has been taking on a new dimension.

The practical Child Pedestrian Safety Training Scheme involves close co-operation between the DOE Road Safety Education Office in Armagh and the school to combine a practical training element with classroom instruction.

Primary Four pupils recently undertook a walk on roads in the general area of the school where the associated road safety problems were encountered, negotiated and discussed.

The walk encompassed such issues as the Green Cross Code and Safer Places to Cross as a pedestrian. Adequate adult supervision was provided by school staff and DOE Road Safety Education Officers who ensured the children 's safety along the route.