Parents Fears Over Cycling Safety

A Yorkshire road safety charity is today warning that worries about dangers are preventing young people from taking up, or doing more, cycling. Brake surveyed 1,301 11-17 year olds in secondary schools and colleges across the UK, finding almost half (47%) said parental worries were preventing them from starting cycling or cycling more.

Brake’s report also found:

• two in five (38%) 11-17 year olds cite a lack of safe routes as a barrier to cycling - four in 10 (41%) think traffic in their area is too fast for the safety of people on foot and bike - nearly four in 10 (37%) think their area needs more pavements, paths and cycle paths

They tell us that that 504 12-15 year olds were killed or seriously injured while walking, and 186 while cycling, in the UK in 2013.

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive, Brake, said: "All parents want their children to be healthy and happy, and many would love to see them walking and cycling more to achieve that. "Young people want this too: it’s crucial to their health, wellbeing, and social and economic lives that they can get around easily and cheaply. "That so many teenagers are being held back from walking and cycling by safety fears, in spite of its great benefits, is a shocking indictment of our road infrastructure. With the car as king in transport planning, walkers and cyclists have been for too long treated as second-class citizens. "The safety of people on foot and bike is hugely important, as is enabling more people to make sustainable, active travel choices without fear of traffic danger. It is vital that the government builds this into long term transport planning, through the Infrastructure Bill, investment in safe walking and cycling routes, and making 20mph limits the norm in towns, cities and villages."