A seminar organised by the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT)* later this month will focus on “keeping children safe on their daily school journeys”.
CAPT says children and young people under the age of 16 years “are more likely to be injured on the roads when travelling to and from school than on any other journey”. It points to analysis by Public Health England and RoSPA which shows that over a five-year period an average of 16 children were killed or seriously injured every week.
CAPT says that more injuries occur after school and injury rates “shoot up” when children aged 11-12 years start to travel to school on their own. Most of the injuries happen to pedestrians and injury rates are much higher among children from more deprived backgrounds.
The seminar, which is supported by the DfT, will showcase policy and practice approaches and feature case studies of practical work that is “making a real difference”.
The event is intended for road safety professionals, senior teachers and school governors, public health specialists, highways engineers, policy makers and researchers.
The seminar will be held in central London on 26 March – click here for more information or to book a place.
CAPT*
CAPT is a national charity committed to reducing the number of children and young people killed, disabled or seriously injured in accidents.
The Highway Code states for pedestrians to give traffic plenty of time to see you and to stop before you start to cross.
Later on for drivers it says “as you approach a zebra crossing look out for pedestrians waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross”. No actual demand by Law to stop. In many circumstances that does happen but as said the law does not require any driver to actually stop unless the pedestrian has put a foot on the crossing.
So it is a grey area. The pedestrian must wait until traffic has passed and the driver can by law pass unless the pedestrian has started to cross.
Personally I would like to see a slow and stop to allow a pedestrian to cross but maybe sometimes the driver of the vehicle behind doesn’t appreciate it.
Bob Craven Lancs… Space is Safe Campaigner
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Just to be clear, the girls in Hatfield were not using a crossing and, in fact were walking out from behind a parked van to their right. They need to learn the Green Cross Code or equivalent.
Eric Bridgstock, Independent Road Safety Researcher, St Albans
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Hmm, I think some of the comments made (suggest) that the Highway Code needs to be re-read. If you see a pedestrian near a zebra crossing you need to be prepared to stop, therefore you should have been driving with due care in the first place. Roads are not for cars, it’s a shared space!
Michael Prescott, Chorley
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Nice to know Eric that there was space in which to slow and no harm was caused. I hope that the driver continued the drive with a smile on his or her face. Well done, so often it could have ended badly. Wish they all had such a happy ending.
Bob Craven Lancs….Space is Safe Campaigner
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The photogaph is uncannily like an incident I witnessed last night driving through Hatfield. Three girls aged maybe 13-15 crossing from right to left as I approached (not on a crossing). A van was to their right, they were chatting and the leading one walked straight out without looking and the others pulled her back as a car was approaching and he had the space to ease off without any more drama. Teenagers on their way home from school have plenty to talk about – how come their self-preservation gene seems to get disabled?
Eric Bridgstock, Independent Road Safety Researcher, St Albans
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The rise in accidents for children aged 11 to 12 years old is a direct result of poor parenting. How often do you see adults/parents dragging their children down the footpaths and across the roads.
All too frequently this is done with no talking or guidance to the child of what is happening and what they should be looking out for. The inveitable result is the child reaches secondary school age, has aquired no real understanding of the dangers or threats on the road. Unable to appreciate risk assessment, assess vehicle speeds.
It is about time parents took responsibility for their children. Alternatively drop the children at the school gate at 4 and pick them up at 18.
Keith
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