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Dozen kids hurt on dale roads each year
Sep 7, 2010
A DOZEN children are injured on Teesdale’s roads every year, the county council has said in response to a new report on casualty rates across the UK.
One child in every 427 is hurt on dale roads every year – the exact national average figure – according to the Child Casualties Report, published by the not-for-profit organisation Road Safety Analysis (RSA).
And according to figures released by Durham County Council, an average of two children are hurt when walking on Teesdale roads, while almost fives times that number are injured when travelling in a vehicle.
Cllr Stephen Hugill, who serves on the county council’s highways committee, identified speeding as the key issue and called for maximum 20mph limits outside schools.
“The dangers are speed-related. It is a matter of identifying areas that have a problem and then getting something done about it,” he said. “Every school now should have a 20mph limit around it.”
Cllr Hugill said the highways committee is considering lowering the speed limit through Woodland from 40 to 30mph, and said he will campaign to lower the current 60mph limit on the A689 between West Auckland and Toft Hill.
He said previous reductions, including that at Evenwood Gate, have been a success, as has the Community Speedwatch initiative that sees members of the public work with the police to tackle speeding problems.
Dave Wafer is the chairman of the Durham and Darlington Casualty Reduction Forum, which brings together police, local authorities, fire and rescue and the health service to help reduce the number of people injured on roads.
“This joint approach has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of casualties in several areas,” said Mr Wafer.
“However, the number of child casualties has not reduced as quickly, so in the coming year, increased emphasis will be placed on targeting resources towards reducing accidents involving children.
“We are asking for parents’ co-operation and vigilance in tackling this problem.”
The RSA figures are from the period 2004 to 2008 and cover the former Teesdale District Council area.
Teesdale ranked 164th out of 408 authorities, while nearby Wear Valley is ranked 60th with one child in every 300 hurt on the roads.
According to the report, children in Preston are at highest risk, with one child in every 206 injured on the roads each year. Kensington and Chelsea in London is the area of lowest risk with one child in every 1,158 injured.
The RSA has calculated that, nationally, one in every 27 children will be injured or killed in a road collision before the age of 16 years.
“We are keen to make sure all the data and analysis techniques that underpin this study can be accessed by local authorities to allow them to investigate how they might ensure the safety of children from their communities,” said Dan Campsell, director of RSA.
A full copy of the report is available at www.roadsafetyanalysis.org