Child safety fear
Scotland records highest proportion of serious accidents involving schoolkids
SCOTLAND has recorded the highest proportion of serious traffic incidents involving children in the UK.
Thirty-one per cent of this type of incident in Scotland involved a child aged four to 11, which was three per cent more than recorded by Yorkshire and Humber, which had the next highest figure in the UK.
In total, 639 road traffic accidents involving children of this age were recorded in Scotland from the start of 2017 to the end of last year.
Primary school children are among the most vulnerable road users and analysis by Churchill Insurance shows they are 22 per cent more likely to be involved in a serious collision.
This age group make up 10 per cent of the population yet account for 12 per cent of accidents. During the four years of the analysis, 10,078 children were hurt in traffic accidents across the UK.
London recorded the greatest number of children hurt at 1800, followed by the North West of England with 1428. Scotland’s count of 639 was one of the lowest.
However, children were more likely to be caught up in a serious incident here, which is why Scotland has the highest proportion of incidents classified as serious where children were recorded. Lockdowns in 2020 helped lower the number of children hurt in serious traffic accidents compared to 2019. In 2020, 1750 incidents were reported, down from 2600 the previous year.
However, there is concern that a third (34 per cent) of incidents occur in the two one-hour times around school drop-off and pick-up times.
The afternoon pick-up is more dangerous, accounting for 24 per cent of accident reports, though the analysis shows the areas around schools are safer than other roads.
Churchill’s analysis reveals only 22 children were hit by a vehicle within 1640ft of a school between 2017 and 2020. However, one in six (16 per cent) of accidents involving primary schoolaged children over the four-year period occurred in 20mph speed zones, suggesting that speed limits alone are not sufficient in protecting young kids.
Kirsty Hoad, head of marketing for Churchill, said: “With the data showing a clear heightened risk to children aged between four and 11 being involved in a road traffic accident, this analysis highlights the importance of teaching road safety to children from as young an age as possible.
“With more than half of primary school children walking or cycling to school, this is one area where children will need to know how to stay safe. We believe education is key to help protect children from being involved in road traffic accidents, and we encourage everyone to take an active role in educating any young children in their lives about road safety.
“We would also advise motorists to take extra care when driving near schools or in other 20mph zones, as the speed measures are in place to protect children and should be observed at all times.”
Chief Inspector Mark Patterson, of Police Scotland’s Road Policing Department, said: “Children are some of our most vulnerable road users and their safety is paramount. I would ask parents and guardians to ensure children are supervised at all times when near the road, and urge motorists to remain vigilant for child pedestrians, especially in built up areas.
“Police Scotland is committed to improving safety on our roads across the country and we continue to work closely with partners on all aspects of road safety.”