Children across Greater Manchester march to demand better road safety
The charity Brake has organised a national march after figures revealed two children are killed or injured on Greater Manchester's roads every day
Last updated 26th Jun 2019
Thousands of children across Greater Manchester have taken to the streets to raise awareness of the need for better road safety.
It comes after new figures revealed two children are killed or injured on Greater Manchester's roads every single day.
The charity Brake says that, although the overall number of child road casualties has dropped by 11% since 2014, when 2,306 children were killed or injured on the roads. figures have increased over the last couple of years since 2015.
Manchester, Tameside and Rochdale had some of the highest numbers of road deaths, and the biggest rise is casualties and fatalities.
Schools and nursers from across the region have since united with Brake's Kids Walk, calling for five measures to keep children safe near roads: footpaths, cycle paths, safe places to cross, slow traffic and clean traffic.
Short, supervised walks have taken place throughout the day and all week at or around schools and nurseries. C
Dave Nichol, community engagement manager for Brake, the road safety charity, said:
"Every child should be able to walk in their community without fear of traffic and pollution. Unfortunately, many kids are unable to do so because they don't have access to simple measures such as footpaths, cycle paths and safe places to cross.
"Many more must contend with fast traffic and pollution from vehicle emissions.
"If we want children and their families to walk in the North West, then we need to make sure their journeys are safe.
"We're delighted that so many schools and children across the region agree with us on this and are taking part in Brake's Kids Walk. Together we can raise awareness about the issues that matter to them."
Diana Hermitt, teacher at St Gilberts RC Primary School in Eccles, said:
"Our school is delighted to take part in Brake's Kids Walk and help raise awareness about how we can all make our roads safer. We're passionate about encouraging our children to live healthy lifestyles, which includes walking in their local community."