Two thirds of drivers do not think it is safe for children to walk down UK city streets because of the threat of traffic, according to a new survey.
The report, by road safety charity Brake and Direct Line, based on a survey of 1,000 drivers, also found that seven in 10 motorists think cycling is a risk.
Almost half (46 percent) of drivers surveyed said that walking and cycling should have priority on UK city streets, compared to just 15 percent of drivers who said vehicles should have priority.
Road safety campaigners are now calling for UK city streets to be transformed.
“We should all be free to move around in safe and healthy ways, whether on foot or by bike, but the dominance of motor traffic is preventing us from doing so,” said Joshua Harris, Director of Campaigns for Brake.
“It’s time to transform our urban areas into places for people, not for vehicles, and it’s great to see that drivers themselves support this move. More and safer routes for people walking and cycling alongside slower vehicle speeds are vital to help make our cities more safe and healthy places to be – we need cities for people, not cities for vehicles.”
The number of child pedestrians (age 15 and under) killed in 2018 increased by 27 percent on the previous year (from 22 to 28), and there were 1,276 child pedestrian serious injuries over the same period – an average of more than three every day, according to latest Government figures.
On average, ten cyclists are killed or seriously injured on British roads every day.
