News story

Horace the dog helps children learn road safety

Road safety animation competition for school children unveils Aardman studios creation 'Horace'.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government
Robert Goodwill at the RAC launch

Transport Minister Robert Goodwill has helped the RAC unveil an animated cartoon mascot created by Aardman studios who will help teach children about staying safe on the road.

Horace the dog was created for the launch of a national competition being run by the RAC in which schoo lchildren will create their own road safety animations.

Road Safety Minister Robert Goodwill said:

The numbers of children being injured or killed on our roads in recent years is the lowest it’s been for decades but until we reach the point when no children are hurt, our work to improve safety will continue.

The RAC’s initiative will ensure pupils across the country learn more about the importance of road safety and I hope that with Horace’s help the number of children hurt on our roads will decline even further.

Horace with Robert Goodwill and children

The competition is open to school children aged 4 to 16, as well as clubs, Scouts, Brownies and other groups as well as individuals. Entry is via the website, which contains links to a comprehensive range of teaching resources.

View more photos of Horace on Flickr

The competition closes on 4 July 2014. First prize in each age category is £1,000 for the winning school and there are three runners-up prizes of an Aardman model-making workshop for the schools.

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Published 11 March 2014