Results from a recent survey show that parents are more concerned about their children having a road accident near school than they are about them being approached by a stranger.
The survey was undertaken by sustainable transport group, Sustrans, who also discovered when addressing parents, that that their child had already almost had an accident on the road and that some vehicles failed to stop for their child or if they managed to stop, they did it too late, crossing the lines of a pedestrian crossing.
Parents also reported that they had seen speeding vehicles that had almost hit their child and a small portion of the parents surveyed said that their child had actually been hit by a vehicle. Almost half (44 per cent) said that road safety was their biggest worry compared to just under a third who worried mainly about strangers.
A New Approach To Road Safety
The group is campaigning for a new approach to road safety and they want others to join them in lobbying the government for the changes. The proposed improvements would include reducing the maximum speed to 20 mph in built up areas, money spent on creating cycling routes near schools and if there is a new housing development then the needs of walkers and cyclist should be taken into account.
Taking Children To School In A Car Is Not A Solution Says The Transport Group
The CEO of Sustrans, Malcolom Shepherd, says that it is good to give children the opportunity to walk to school or use their bikes or scooters and that the exercise is vital for their health. He adds: “Making our roads safe enough that they can do this must be a top priority.
Mr Shepherd said: “If a whole classroom of children had been killed under other circumstances there would be public outcry. With today’s children the least physically active in history and set to have shorter life expectancies than their parents… shuttling kids to the school gate in the car is not the answer.”
DFT Says Action Is Being Taken
On behalf of the Department of Transport, a statement said that most drivers are mindful of the impact driving at high speeds in built up areas can have. The statement continued: “We want people to drive in a safe manner at all times, which is why we recently increased the fixed penalty to £100 for several driving offences, including careless driving, and why we have given local councils more flexibility so that it is cheaper and easier for them to implement 20mph limits and zones.” The statement also reported that the DFT was urging councils to make considerations for cyclists when they are designing new roads.
Claiming Compensation For A Road Accident
If you have been involved in a road traffic accident then you could be eligible to make a compensation claim. To find out if you have a valid claim, please speak to our no win no fee solicitors at Motor Injury Lawyers. We specialise in motor accident claims and can advise you more about your case following an initial consultation. Please call us on 0800 808 7733 or complete one of our online claim forms.