Ten sets of front and rear bike lights were given to the excited pupils at Kirwee Model School.
AA Canterbury/West Coast District Council chair John Skevington said if the scheme saves just one child’s life, then it was worth it.
“The kids love (the lights), parents love them, grandparents love them. We’ve had grandparents who make comments about what a great thing it is to keep their grandkids safe.”
“No one wants to go to their own kid’s funeral ... we’ve seen (the scheme) in action, we’ve seen the children using them.”
Police school community officer Selwyn, Senior Constable Jim Manning, was on hand to help the pupils fit the lights.
He said children are small and hard to see so anything that made them more visible on the road was a great initiative.
Manning and Senior Constable Scott Carmody were the police officers who risked their lives to capture the Christchurch mosque terrorist on March 15, 2019, when they recognised his vehicle and ran him off the road on Brougham St.
Manning and Carmody received the New Zealand Bravery Decoration in 2021 for their actions.
Skevington said the bike lights scheme relies heavily on sponsorship.
He said so far 750 sets of lights have been given out at 25 schools from Hanmer to Ashburton and on the West Coast.
"It just keeps on snowballing," Skevington said.
"And our next order will be bringing lights for councils down south as well.
"It’ll be something like 1700 sets of lights in that order."
The team hopes the initiative will show children the value of bike lights early in life, ensuring they continue to use them when cycling as adults.
- By Geoff Sloan, made with the support of NZ On Air
