Calls for 20mph speed limits around schools in the South West
Hundreds of children aged between 4 and 11 were harmed on roads across the South West in 2022
Last updated 19th Jun 2024
A road safety charity is calling for roads around schools to have their speed limits reduced to 20mph as parents have told them it's not safe for children to walk or wheel to school.
Data from Brake, the road safety charity, reveals that almost 450 children (442) were injured on roads near schools in the South West in 2022 - one of which was a fatality.
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.
Brake say over three-quarters of parents (78%) and carers they surveyed said they would welcome reduced speed limits near their homes and children's schools.
The statistics
According to the Department for Transport, reported road casualties reveal Devon, Cornwall and Somerset to have the three highest recorded numbers of children aged between 4 and 11 injured or killed on our roads here in the South West in 2022.
- Bath and North East Somerset - 4 children seriously injured, 15 slightly injured
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole - 5 children seriously injured, 21 slightly injured
- City of Bristol - 5 children seriously injured, 22 slightly injured
- Cornwall - 4 children seriously injured, 48 slightly injured
- Devon (excluding Plymouth and Torbay - 1 fatality, 4 children seriously injured, 71 slightly injured
- Dorset (excluding Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch) - 5 children seriously injured, 29 slightly injured
- Gloucestershire - 14 children seriously injured, 26 slightly injured
- North Somerset - 1 child seriously injured, 13 slightly injured
- Plymouth - 1 child seriously injured, 11 slightly injured
- Somerset - 7 children seriously injured, 36 slightly injured
- South Gloucestershire - 1 child seriously injured, 18 slightly injured
- Swindon - 4 children seriously injured, 22 slightly injured
- Torbay - 1 child seriously injured, 13 slightly injured
- Wiltshire (excluding Swindon) - 5 children seriously injured, 35 slightly injured
Of the 2,000 parents and carers of primary schoolchildren surveyed by Brake, 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%).
They added: “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!”
They're encouraging children to walk to school this morning - with more than 80,000 children across the country taking part in the charity's Kids Walk campaign.
It's hoped that getting children walking to school will bring physical and mental benefits.