Hundreds of school children drove a road safety initiative encouraging people to become safer drivers in Tauranga this morning.

From 9.30am, around 600 primary and intermediate school pupils from around Western Bay of Plenty took to the city's streets for the annual Orange Day parade.

Pupils from across the Bay of Plenty promoted their road safety message at the annual Orange Day parade today. Photos: Bruce Barnard.

The orange-clad pupils walked with banners promoting road safety messages from Dive Crescent, along Willow St, to Grey St and Elizabeth St before heading back down Devonport Rd and The Strand to their start point.

Tauranga Police Constable Emma Buxton says the parade is arranged by New Zealand Police and Tauranga City Council Travel Safe as a celebration of Year 5-8 pupils who work alongside the two organisations to raise awareness in their communities.

'All participants are either road patrol or bus monitors, traffic wardens, Travel Safe or Travel Smart students,” she says.

Pupils were dressed in orange to represent the colour worn by road safety patrollers and carried hand-made banners highlighting road safety issues in their community.

'Those banners are then used around the school gate throughout 2015 to address the road safety problem the children have identified,” says Emma.

'So it makes it not just a one-day thing, it can last the whole year to contribute to a safer school gate.

'It's a good way of showing care and responsibility for the community they live in and empowering them to know that they can make a safer place for people and that they have the ability to do that.

'Orange Day is a big thank you from us, TCC and NZ Police for their commitment.”

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges and Western Bay of Plenty area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton were invited to officially open the parade by cutting an orange ribbon.

Clifford says Travel Safe teams do a fantastic job giving up their own time to make WBOP roads and students safer.

'I very much appreciate the work they do and the time they give up to contribute to the Western Bay of Plenty.”

From left: Clifford Paxton, MP Simon Bridges, Bill Grainger, Martin Parkes, Bev Edlin and Catherine Stewart.