LOOK OUT FOR KIDS ON THE ROADS THIS SUMMER
20 July 2005 - Green Flag Motoring Assistance

With schools across the country closed or preparing to shut for the summer holidays, motoring assistance expert Green Flag reminds drivers to watch out for children playing near roads.

Pupils in Scotland are already enjoying the summer holidays and most schools in England are set to close their doors next week.

The UK has one of the worst records in Europe for the number of child pedestrians killed or seriously injured on the roads. Figures from the Department for Transport show that over 2,000 child pedestrians were killed or seriously injured on our roads in 2004.* Many of these incidents occurred in urban residential areas.

Green Flag spokesperson Melanie Denny said: ''During the school holidays, children are more likely to be out and about playing near, or even on, residential roads. We are urging drivers to be vigilant, and bear in mind that young kids may not have fully developed their road sense yet, and may step out in front of vehicles.''

To reduce the risks to children playing close to roads near their homes this summer, Green Flag is asking drivers to remember some golden rules when driving in residential areas:

Keep a look out for children playing on or near the road you are driving on
Expect the unexpected as children can be unpredictable and may run out into the road Keep below the speed limit. A pedestrian hit by a vehicle travelling at 20 miles per hour has a 95 per cent chance of surviving, but at 40 miles per hour the chance of surviving drops to only nine per cent.**
Remember other distractions such as iPods, mobile phones or hand-held computer games may mean children are not watching where they are going, or cannot hear you coming
Bear in mind that children may not be able to judge speeds and distances as well as adults, and have not yet developed their road sense.

Green Flag supports road safety charity Brake with a number of initiatives to protect youngsters including Beep Beep! Day and Road Safety Week.

Beep Beep! Day is an event that aims to teach pre-school children simple road safety messages in a fun and engaging way. Nursery schools are being encouraged to hold their own Beep Beep! Day, between August 1 and October 31 2005, either by taking children on a short walk on safe pavements near their nursery, or by using ride on toys in the playground to learn basic road safety lessons.

Road Safety Week is a national week of events dedicated to providing road safety advice to all road users. Later this month Green Flag will confirm its sponsorship of Road Safety Week, which takes place November 7 2005.

The theme this year is ''watch out there''s a kid about'' as Brake aims to raise awareness of the shocking number of children killed or injured on Britain''s roads every year. This will be the fifth year running that Green Flag has supported the event.

www.greenflag.com

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