A POPULAR road safety character surprised pupils at Corpus Christi Primary School during their sports day last week.

Ziggy, who is part of a nationwide “Go Safe with Ziggy” campaign helps equip children and parents with the skills, knowledge and attitudes that will help keep children safe on our roads.

Research shows that youngsters can adopt poor driving habits long before getting behind the wheel based on what they see others doing.

Primary one classes throughout Scotland are distributed with Ziggy’s Sports Day books which encourages parents to adopt more positive behaviours behind the wheel.

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Vicky Kytzia, principal teacher at the school, said: “We regularly use the Go Safe with Ziggy resources in our classrooms and the children always find the books and activities really engaging and fun.

“We are delighted that Ziggy chose to visit our school for sports day and we hope that the children and parents remember the important road safety messages they’ve learned from the visit.”

Michael McDonnell, Road Safety Scotland director, added: “It is widely recognised amongst behavioural psychologists that early experiences shape children’s future behaviour. Children who regularly witness poor driving behaviours such as anger, frustration or texting behind the wheel, may pick these habits up and carry them into adulthood as they begin to learn to drive themselves.

“It’s vital that road safety skills are taught from a young age and important for parents to play a role in moulding their children’s attitudes to using our roads.”