CHILDREN hope a new banner they have designed to promote road safety outside their Oxford school will drive the message home to parents.

Pupils at Windmill Primary School, in Margaret Road, Headington, were asked to take part in a competition to design banners telling parents not to park on zig-zag lines.

The contest was launched during Road Safety Week in November and the children had to come up with designs which were then judged by their neighbourhood officer, PC Jerry Kidd.

Headteacher Lynn Knapp said parking had become a problem at the school and the banners were a way of getting the children to educate their parents.

She said: "These banners are about improving road safety outside the school gate.

"This is a narrow road and when you get cars parked on the zig-zag lines it makes it harder for drivers to see children crossing the road.

"We have had too many near-misses out the front of the school, because of the parking situation.

"We had one driver who had to get out of his car recently because he thought he had knocked a child over."

Mrs Knapp said the project had been a good way of raising the children's awareness of road safety issues.

She said: "We hope they will then speak to parents about the problem and tell them not to park there."

The two winning banners, unveiled this week, were designed by pupils John Kafke, seven, and Catherine Monaghan, six.

John said: "I made my banner with lots of bright colours so that people will see it when they are outside and know that they shouldn't be parking on the zig-zag lines."

Catherine said: "I don't think that people should park on the zig-zag lines because sometimes when I'm trying to cross the road, I can't see where I'm going."

PC Kidd said: "I was really impressed with all the designs, they were all fantastic, but in the end I choose the ones that I thought got the message across best."