Sustrans launches Campaign for Safer Streets

Sustrans has today launched its campaign to urge parents to write to their local MP to demand every child be given the right to a safe journey to school.

New statistics released by Sustrans reveal that 41% of parents reported their child has been involved in some sort of ‘near miss’ while walking or cycling to or from school.

The survey, carried out by YouGov, asked parents of 5-11 year olds about unsafe roads and unsafe driving that had resulted in a ‘near-miss’ between their child and a vehicle on the way to or from school.

Of the parents surveyed:

• 18% said their child had experienced a vehicle not stopping or stopping too late at a pedestrian crossing
• 13% said their child had experienced a speeding vehicle nearly hitting them while crossing the road
• 5% said their child had been hit by a vehicle while walking.

Over half of parents of 7-10 year olds are concerned by traffic danger. In 2012, 33 children were killed, and the equivalent of seven primary schools (1,836) seriously injured while walking or cycling on our roads.

As a result, more and more children are being driven to school. In 1971 80% of 7 and 8 year olds walked or cycled to school on their own. Now 44% of primary school children are driven to school, and 55% of all journeys made by children in the UK are by car.

Children who walk, scoot or bike to school are more likely to:

• achieve the daily hour of physical activity recommended by health experts
• arrive at school ready to learn
• be active outside of school
• have a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.

The Campaign for Safer Streets highlights that:

• spending just £12 per head annually will mean safer streets and streetwise children
• reducing speed limits from 30 to 20 mph means 40% fewer casualties, with the greatest reduction amongst young children
• half of children want to cycle the school run – they just need to be able to.

Malcolm Shepherd, Chief Executive of Sustrans said:

"We must urgently make our roads safer for those children already making a healthy, active school run and also to encourage those who don’t feel safe enough to start walking or cycling.

"With today’s children the least physically active in history, and set to have shorter life expectancies than their parents because of this, shuttling kids to and from the school gate in the car is not the answer.

"Giving children the opportunity to walk, scoot of cycle the school run is vital to their health and wellbeing so making our roads safe enough that they can do this must be a top priority."

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