Winter safety tips for paper delivery boys and girls

Released: 27 November 2007

Now that the winter nights are drawing in and weather and road conditions are deteriorating youngsters who deliver newspapers are being urged to stay safe when they are out making their deliveries.

Some tips for parents wanting to keep their children safe whilst doing their newspaper rounds are:

Make sure that your child can be easily seen, especially at night, on dark days and in bad weather;

Bright fluorescent clothes show up best by day, especially in dull or misty weather;

By night, reflective material is best and shows up in car headlights – remember, fluorescent clothing doesn’t work after dark;

It’s an offence to cycle at night without a white front light, a red back light and a red reflector at the back,  so make sure that your child’s bike is properly equipped and working;

Insist that your child wears a helmet whilst using a bike to make deliveries.

Another point to bear in mind is that children’s cycles when used on paper rounds aren’t covered by the newsagent’s insurance, so they should be added to a householders home and contents policy.

It is important that anyone who employs a child does so strictly in accordance with the law.  Theses rules are not just ‘red tape’ - they exist to protect the health and physical well-being of children whilst at work. 

A person wishing to employ a child should notify the Child Employment Section, within the Safeguarding Service, at the Jennie Lee Centre, Lichfield Road, Wednesfield, within seven days of the commencement of the employment in order to register the employment.

For further advice or to register a child for employment please contact childemployment@wolverhampton.gov.uk or telephone 01902 555233.

Issued by the press office.