Have you met Elmer?

Say hello to Elmer the Safety Elephant! Since 1947, Elmer has been educating schoolchildren about safety issues including road, fire, railway, home, community, playground and bicycle safety.

Elmer is one of the best-known and most beloved symbols of child safety. To hundreds of thousands of Canadians, old and young, Elmer is a constant reminder to remember to keep safety at the front of mind. After all, an elephant never forgets!

Elmer’s presence in the schools made a noticeable impact. In 1947, the same year in which he was introduced to the school system in Toronto, traffic collisions in the city involving children dropped by 44 per cent — while the city was also seeing a 10 per cent increase in vehicle registrations!

The Elmer flag program is a highly visible and effective road safety tool. Schools that participate in this program proudly fly an Elmer flag up their flagpole, representing that they are road collision-free. In the event of a collision, that flag is lowered and serves as both a powerful visual reminder and a means to have meaningful conversations about road safety with students when they ask about the flag. 

Elmer’s safety tips and advice are currently being shared in more than 800 schools nation-wide, with Elmer helping children to stay safe, physically and mentally, in communities across Canada. The program is proudly supported through community police services with an established presence in the school system. 

Is Elmer in your child’s school? If not, let their school know that you’d like to see your children receive the valuable, time-tested and crucially important safety information that is offered by Elmer the Safety Elephant.