Road Safety Week

Kids Say Slow Down - the theme of RSW10

Traffic is one of the biggest causes of death and maiming of children. It’s also one of the ways that children are most likely to be suddenly and violently bereaved; losing a brother, sister, parent or other close relative.

Statistics show us that drivers who drive above speed limits, or too fast for the road and the people using it, are one of the biggest causes of deaths and injuries of kids. Slowing down is the single most important thing that drivers can do in towns, villages, and around schools. The slower we drive, the more chance we have to react to the unexpected.

In the UK, someone is killed by a driver who is speeding or travelling too fast for conditions every 14 hours. Police identified speeding or travelling too fast for conditions as a contributory factor to 622 road deaths in 2008: that's almost two deaths a day, 12 a week, 52 a month. Death and injury from speed is a problem worldwide too. 

This Road Safety Week, Brake is giving children a voice. We’re asking them how speed affects their lives; at home, school and play. We’re talking to kids in communities that are campaigning for safety measures on their roads and asking what they’d like to see change. We know that children are often scared of traffic in their communities and describe traffic as fast and coming out of nowhere. We know that children prefer to walk or cycle rather than use cars. We know that children are small, vulnerable, and make mistakes, and can so easily die.

Children’s overwhelming message in Road Safety Week is a simple one: if we want to improve the safety and quality of life of kids using roads in our communities, we need to SLOW DOWN.

To order a free Road Safety Week pack for companies, and for more tips and advice on getting involved, go to
www.roadsafetyweek.org