Disney Junior and road safety charity Brake have joined forces for a new initiative which aims to teach young children about road safety.

A new set of special edition road signs have been created by official road sign designer Margaret Calvert OBE which feature Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and other characters from the Disney Junior preschool TV show Mickey and the Roadster Racers. 

The signs have been released as a measure of encouraging schools and parents to educate their children on the rules of the road from a young age. Whilst the signs won’t be used on the road, they are available to download on the Brake website in order to inspire schools and nurseries to make their own road safety messages to remind adults to drive safely. Alongside the signs, new road safety guides are being distributed as part of Disney Junior UK’s ongoing Parenting Hacks initiative. Aimed at 2-7 year-olds, the interactive guides will teach youngsters the basics of road safety.

The campaign follows research which revealed that four in five parents (82 per cent) are concerned about the speed of cars around their children, with nearly two in five (38 per cent) saying it has become too dangerous to walk kids to school. Additionally, more than a third of parents (35 per cent) are worried that their children don’t know the basics of Stop, Look, Listen and Think.

However, it seems that parents need to be up to speed on their road safety regulations too, as the research revealed that only half of parents (53 per cent) are able to correctly identify a pelican crossing. Almost half of drivers (48 per cent) do not know the speed limit around nearby schools, whilst an alarming 83 per cent of drivers are unable to identify the meaning of a selection of common road signs in the Highway Code.

Speaking about the campaign, Margaret Calvert OBE said: “The Mickey and the Roadster Racers inspired designs are a fun take on my original ‘children crossing’ signs, which I hope will help teach young children important lessons of the road. It was an enjoyable challenge collaborating with Disney Junior and Brake on an important subject, and by using such recognisable characters I hope they help to capture the attention of children, and parents too.”

Dave Nichols, Community Engagement Manager, Brake added: “Our vision is a world where all children can enjoy safe and healthy journeys, which is why we’re always working to improve the safety and welfare of children on UK roads. Teaming up with Disney Junior and Mickey and the Roadster Racers is a fantastic way to help young children and those who care for them raise awareness about being safe on our roads. Having the support of Britain’s official road sign designer is a powerful way to have these iconic characters give children a voice and call on grown-ups to drive safely.”

You can download the Mickey and the Roadster Racers road safety guide here.