Youngsters as young as two will be taught about road safety

The Beep Beep! Day in Wales is being launched at the Three Bears Pre-School and Nursery in Cardiff on Monday.

A group of toddlers will ride toys around a special road marked in the playground and wear the T-shirts.

Adults with banners will also call on drivers to slow down around the nursery in St Mellons.

We are calling on all drivers to help make roads safer for kids on foot or bike Mary Williams, chief executive Brake

Sarah Bayliss, manager at the Three Bears, said road-safety awareness is already taught to pre-schoolers at her nursery.

But it is not a compulsory part of the Foundation stage for youngsters aged three and above, say the day's organisers, the Brake charity.

Miss Bayliss said: "Luckily we take them to the local parks, they (toddlers) start with very little road sense but they do pick it up quite quickly.

"We use pelican crossings and we emphasise stop, look and listen and say it over and over again.

"We have also been talking about it in the nursery this week," she added.

Miss Bayliss said the children enjoy learning about road safety in a 'fun' way - and adults can also pick up useful reminders.

Speed limit

The event, also being organised by Green Flag Motoring Assistance, is expected to involve thousands of children across the UK.

The organisers want drivers to pledge to stay within speed limits at all times, especially around schools, nurseries and homes.

They also want drivers to drop their speed to 20 mph when children are about.

A child hit by a car travelling at 20mph has a 95% chance of survival compared to a 15%chance at 40mph.

In Wales, four children under 16 were killed on foot in 2004 and 88 were seriously injured.

Studies show children living in deprived area are most at risk from being involved in a road accident.

'Crucial messages'

Across the UK, children from those areas are five times more likely to be killed on foot than those in wealthy areas, said the charity.

Mary Williams OBE, chief executive of Brake, said: "Many of the 92 children killed and seriously injured while walking in Wales last year were mown down in their own neighbourhoods by local drivers.

"We are calling on all drivers to help make roads safer for kids on foot or bike by sticking within speed limits at all times."

Miss Bayliss is urging all nursery leaders, teachers and parents to become involved in child safety.

"Beep Beep! Day is a fun way for us to get crucial messages across to the children, which we hope will help them to stay safe as they grow up," she said.