PARENTS are being offered lessons in kerb drill to save their youngsters from death and serious injury.

The back to basics sessions are being held by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.

Road safety officer Mike Hall said: "We are all guilty of being in a rush and not waiting for the green man, walking diagonally across the road or dodging through moving traffic to cross the road. And there's no doubt that hasty road safety habits are picked up by children.

"We aim to show it's not difficult to do it properly, the extra seconds won't really matter - but they could save your children's life. So it's got to be worth it."

His comments coincide with Government research that shows almost three in four parents do not always use zebra or pelican crossings to cross the road if they are in a hurry. Almost two thirds of parents quizzed did not always wait for the green light before crossing the road. One in five also admitted to crossing the road while talking or texting on a mobile phone.

Speaking on the Department of Transport's website, Road Safety Minister David Jamieson said: "Actions speak louder than words with road safety...it's easy to forget that children will cut corners if they see us doing so."

The council is offering special two hour lessons on 'Defensive Walking' for parents, available through request to any of the borough's 13 libraries.

The courses have been running for about a year and according to Mr Hall have proved popular. As a result, various groups have been trained including the complete teaching staff and retired men's and women's groups.

A new Government booklet, Lessons in Life, has also been sent to 20,000 primary school children across the borough, encouraging them to read about road safety with their parents.