This year’s Road Safety Week campaign is Speed Down, Save Lives, and the Conies is giving it our full support.
When you read the stats, you’ll understand why.
- Road crashes are the second biggest killer of young people aged five to 19
- More than five children are seriously hurt or killed every single day on British roads.
- Most incidents involving children occur when they are walking home from school.
- Children under 15 cannot judge the speed of approaching vehicles when they are travelling at speeds greater than 20mph, so may believe it is safe to cross when it isn’t.
Speed is a crucial factor in the safety of pedestrians. Speed and stopping distances don’t increase at the same rate. Small increases in speed result in bigger increases in stopping distances. That’s why it’s so important for drivers to drive within speed limits and to keep to 20mph in residential areas. Even a 1mph cut in speed can reduce the chance of a fatal injury by 5 per cent.
As well as improving road safety, cutting speed also benefits the health and wellbeing of our children. Slower traffic makes people feel safer, which encourages more young people to walk and cycle. More children walking and cycling means fewer cars on the roads and lower pollution from vehicle emissions. More walking and cycling also means better health and helps prevent childhood obesity as well as diabetes.
To find out more about Road Safety Week visit http://www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk
