The Government attaches great importance to the safety of children and improving child road safety, especially for pedestrians and cyclists, is an integral part of school travel policies. We are therefore pleased to see that safety has been at the core of STAG's work. We acknowledge that a key barrier to increased cycling and walking amongst children is due to the concerns of them and their parents about safety, either issues of personal safety or traffic safety. We are addressing traffic safety issues by developing a comprehensive Road Safety Strategy and casualty reduction targets for 2010. The Strategy will reflect the findings of the Speed Review, and both documents are to be published shortly.
Most accidents involving pedestrians and other vulnerable road users occur in towns.
The Government has given local authorities powers to install speed management measures, including self-enforcing 20 mph zones, with supporting traffic calming measures where they are necessary. Issues of traffic calming and speed will be dealt with in the Road Safety Strategy. Road safety education and pedestrian and cycle training plays an important role in equipping children with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to behave safely. There are many other opportunities for integrating road safety into various core subjects at all stages of schooling. It is particularly important at key stage 3 when children transfer to secondary school, as at that age they are particularly at risk of being injured on the roads either as a pedestrian or cyclist.