For nearly four decades, a squirrel in a blue coat and yellow trousers did the country a great service by helping to cut the number of road deaths amongst children.

Tufty Fluffytail was the RoSPA’s symbol who was instrumental in helping millions of children to learn about road safety from the 1950s-1990s.

Created in 1953 by Elsie Mills MBE, who worked on child safety initiatives at RoSPA, Tufty helped to communicate simple safety messages to children across the UK.

In 1961, his influence was cemented through the formation of the Tufty Club – a nationwide network of local road safety groups for children. At its peak, there were 24,500 registered Tufty Clubs, with membership passing two million children in 1972.

Although focusing on road safety education, Tufty and his furry friends, including Policeman Badger, Willy Weasel, Minnie Mole and Mrs Owl, also made forays into other areas of child safety, including home and water safety.

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Tufty’s image was changed to keep up with the times in 1979 and again in 1993, before new methods of helping children to learn about road safety came to the fore. In 2007, Tufty once again rose to national prominence when he made a guest appearance in the cult BBC series Life on Mars.

But it appears that Tufty may be required again after police issued a safety plea following six pedestrians being killed on Scotland’s roads in just 13 days.

In true Tufty style, police are urging pedestrians to wear reflective or fluorescent clothes in the winter, particularly when it is dark.

Motorists were also asked to ensure their headlights are working and clean, especially if they are automated. It follows a series of deaths of pedestrians on the roads in January and February.

Police Scotland’s Ch Insp Lorraine Napier said that, in light of the recent incidents, officers wanted to encourage all road users to be aware of potential risks and keep safe.

The Herald:

She said: “Pedestrians are considered vulnerable road users and, in winter, particularly when it is dark, pedestrians should wear reflective or fluorescent clothing. 

“I would also urge pedestrians to be mindful of their surroundings and to ensure they are not putting themselves at risk.

“I would also urge motorists to drive with particular care in areas where people may be on foot or crossing roads and ensure the correct vehicle lights are in operation, free from defect and clean, particularly if the vehicle has automated lights.”

All of this is very sound advice, but how did it come to be that grown adults are being taught how to cross a road safely.

It is one of the first things you are taught as a child and the basic advice that was doled out then should be carried throughout your adult life.

Evert town and city centre has ample places to cross safely, yet as the tragic toll informs us, people are still not ensuring that they are doing it safely.

Let’s be brutally frank – it is not difficult to cross a road safely – yet an average of 37 adult pedestrians die every year on Scotland’s roads in winter.

These are adult pedestrians too – not children.

Police Scotland will not reveal what caused the crashes or whether there were any common factors. Of course, every collision which results in death or serious injury involves a unique set of circumstances and in many cases it is not the pedestrians fault.

But in many cases, it is and that is the worrying thing - why are so many people dying doing what should be the simplest of tasks. Every one is a tragedy but they should be quite easily preventable.

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Without trying to pre-judge any investigation, you only have to look around city centres today and see many people buried deep in their phones to perhaps offer up one explanation.

Many folk also think it’s perfectly acceptable to be talking on the phone with headphones in while they attempt to cross the road. These are as dangerous to do crossing the road as it is behind the wheel of a car – that is why it is illegal to do while driving. It is impossible to fully concentrate on other things while you are on the phone and this includes crossing the road or boarding a train. 

Road accidents in general have fallen considerably in recent years but are still too high given the investment in safety features on our streets.

Maybe it’s time to wheel out Tufty again to offer a refresher course – just to be on the safe side.