Plymouth sets itself higher target to reduce child road casualties

The latest picture on child road casualties in Plymouth was published today by the City Council and will provide vital information to shape future road safety initiatives.

The Child Road Safety Audit, which outlines the scale, nature and location of child casualties based on 2004 figures, will be invaluable for the Council as it delivers and develops a range of road safety initiatives.

The data in this audit shows that Plymouth City Council has made excellent progress on meeting the government target to half the 1994-1998 average figure for killed and seriously injured child casualties. The Council has exceeded this target by reducing this type of casualty by 55 per cent and five years ahead of the government’s 2010 deadline.

Plymouth City Council Cabinet Member for Transport Councillor Sue Dann said: “One child getting seriously injured or killed on Plymouth roads is one too many. We have exceeded the government target and set ourselves a more challenging target of an 80 per cent reduction in this type of casualty by 2010. Armed with this audit data we will be able to tackle this from different angles and target resources effectively to make our city roads safer for young people.”

The audit makes interesting reading. It confirms a national trend that a child is more likely to be a road casualty in deprived neighbourhoods. The Council’s action plan and associated Road Safety Strategies have put in measures and allocate resources to address this.

It also highlights driver error and negligent manoeuvres as one of the main causes of child road casualties. The Council action plan and Road Safety Strategy aims to improve driver behaviour and may include creation of 20 mph zones or similar speed reduction measures in and around schools.

A successful partnership between the Council road safety team and city schools has since 2003 put in place 13 School Travel Plans to raise awareness about safety on school journeys and promotion of walking and cycling.

The Child Road Safety Audit for Plymouth can be viewed on our Road Saety page and free internet access is available in community libraries.

9 November 2005