New drive to reduce road death numbers
NEW campaign aims to highlight the common causes of collisions involving child pedestrians in Lancashire in a bid to cut the number of deaths and injuries on our roads.
About 65 child pedestrians are killed or seriously injured in Lancashire every year.
The campaign being run by the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership will encourage everyone on the roads to look out for each other, with a focus on providing information and advice to parents and carers to show children how to stay safe when out and about.
Most incidents happen when a child suddenly steps, runs or cycles into the road, and in a significant proportion of collisions, children are with an adult family member at the time. The campaign will ask adults to set a good example to children by always crossing safely themselves, and also ask drivers to play their part by anticipating that children can behave unpredictably, and give themselves time to watch out for children and stop if necessary.
County Councillor Keith Iddon, Lancashire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We are all responsible for each other’s safety on the roads and the number of child pedestrians being killed or injured every year in Lancashire is something we should not accept.
“We teach children about road safety through schools, however we’re also encouraging everyone who has responsibility for young people to do their bit and help to reinforce that message.”