Elmer the Safety Elephant's Flag Program is Back

Do you remember the Elmer Flag at your school? Well, it's back. The new, improved Elmer Flag program was launched from coast to coast on November 21, 2000, when schools and safety villages across Canada raised the new flag. The new program builds on the highly successful principles of the old.

How it works

The local community police officer requests a flag kit from the Canada Safety Council. Each kit contains resources for three schools. The officer conducts a brief safety assembly at each school to make sure the children understand Elmer's seven traffic safety rules, and raises the Elmer flag.

If there is a traffic mishap involving a student, the school takes down the flag and stores it for a prescribed number of days. The children notice the flag is missing and ask where it went. This provides an opportunity for teachers and the police officer to discuss the incident and talk about how to prevent similar ones, and review Elmer's seven traffic safety rules. The flag is again raised after 15 or 30 consecutive days with no traffic-related incidents.

The Elmer Safety Flag Program is carried out only during the school year. All mishaps are counted during and after school hours and on weekends.

About Elmer...

The Elmer safety program started in 1947. At that time, parents, educators, police and politicians were alarmed by the rising number of young school-age children being hit by cars and decided urgent action was needed.

A study of collisions involving children five to nine years of age showed that most mishaps were caused by a few specific hazards. Running was often a factor, and momentary excitement made children forget to be careful. This study became the basis for Elmer's safety rules and the slogan, "Elmer and I never forget."

The program was introduced to Toronto on a public service basis by the Toronto Telegram newspaper, which fostered its growth during the first decade. It was immediately effective. During its first year, the number of children hit in traffic dropped 44 per cent despite a 10 per cent increase in the number of motor vehicles registered.

When the Telegram ceased publication in 1971, it transfered all rights to the Canada Safety Council, which currently holds the trademark and copyright for Elmer the Safety Elephant.

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Safety Canada, January 2001

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