Over 160 school children harmed on Bucks, Beds and Herts roads
Across the East, 534 children aged 4–11 were harmed on roads in the same period
Brake, the road safety charity, is calling for measures to end speeding traffic around all schools in the UK, as parents report roads aren’t safe for their children to walk or wheel to school.
The latest Department for Transport figures show that 534 children aged 4–11 were harmed on roads in the East in 2022.
That includes one child who was killed, and 85 who were seriously injured.
In the South East, 852 children aged 4-11 were harmed on the regions roads, with two killed, and 141 seriously injured.
In Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire specifically over the same time period, 165 children were killed or injured.
According to new research published by Brake, more than three-quarters (78%) of parents and carers surveyed would like roads near their home and children’s schools to have a speed limit of 20mph.
In addition, 85% of those surveyed said they would like to see Government doing more to make roads safer in their community.
Of the 2,000 parents and carers of primary schoolchildren surveyed, more than two-thirds (69%) would like their children to walk or wheel to school more often, but many say they can’t because the roads are too busy (39%) and the traffic moves too fast (24%).
Today (Wednesday 19 June 2024), 80,000 children (aged 4–11) from more than 720 schools and youth groups are taking part in Brake's Kids Walk to shout out for their right to make safe and healthy journeys without fear or threat from traffic.
"We all want children to be able to travel to and from school safely"
Lucy Straker, campaigns manager at Brake, said: “We all want children to be able to travel to and from school safely. But sadly, every day, more than 16 primary schoolchildren are harmed on our roads.
"We know that excess speed is a factor in about a quarter of fatal crashes – and the physics is pretty straightforward: the faster a vehicle is travelling, the harder it hits and the greater the impact.
“Evidence shows us that by lowering the speed limits and reducing the number of vehicles on our roads, we also reduce the risk of people being harmed. This new research from Brake also shows us that people want 20mph speed limits around their homes and their children’s schools.
“So, we call on the future leaders of our country to prioritise safety on roads across our communities, by implementing 20mph as the default speed limit on roads in residential and built-up areas. We must keep our children safe!”