Lower speed limits on roads where children travel to and from school

A road safety charity is calling on the Government to lower default speed limits to 20mph on roads where children travel to and from school.

More than 16 primary schoolchildren are harmed on UK roads every day, with parents reporting roads are not safe for their children to walk or cycle to school.

The charity Brake has sent a letter to transport minister Lillian Greenwood, calling on the Government to commit to introducing 20mph as the default speed limit on roads in built-up and residential areas as part of its eagerly awaited Road Safety Strategy. 

With excess speed a factor in a quarter of fatal road crashes, the charity urges the minister to prioritise measures that will make children’s journeys to and from school safer.

Four-fifths (80%) of parents and carers surveyed by Brake would like roads near their home and children’s schools to have a speed limit of 20mph.

Furthermore, 85% of those surveyed said they would like the Government to do more to make roads safer in their community.

Of the 2,010 parents and carers of primary schoolchildren surveyed, more than half (55%) would like their children to walk or wheel to school more often, but many say they can’t because the roads are too busy (40%), traffic moves too fast (28%) and there are no suitable crossings (14%).

Luca Straker, campaigns manager at Brake, said: “We all want children to be able to travel to and from school safely. But, sadly, every day, more than 16 primary schoolchildren are harmed on our roads.

“We know that excess speed is a factor in about a quarter of fatal crashes – and the physics is pretty straightforward: the faster a vehicle is travelling, the harder it hits and the greater the impact.”

Latest official figures show that 6,069 children aged 4–11 were harmed on UK roads in 2023; of these, 28 children died and a further 1,077 suffered serious injuries.

The data also shows that in 2023, 2,299 children aged 4–11 were harmed while walking, 560 while cycling and 2,934 children while travelling by car.

More than 85,000 children (aged 4–11) from more than 600 schools and youth groups are taking part in Brake's Kids Walk today (Wednesday, June 11), campaigning for their right to make safe and healthy journeys without fear or threat from traffic.

The 85,000 schoolchildren taking part in Brake’s Kids Walk will complete a short, supervised walk around their schools and/or communities.

They will carry banners and posters, provided by Brake, to help raise awareness of the five things they need to help keep them safe near roads: slower traffic, cleaner traffic, better footpaths, better cycle paths, and safe places to crossroads.

“We have good evidence to show that by lowering the speed limits on our roads, we reduce the risk of people being harmed,” continued Straker.

“In September 2023, the Welsh Government took a bold step in reducing the default speed limit on roads in built-up and residential areas to 20mph. Within the first year, collisions on these roads had reduced by 26%. 

“Our research also shows us that people want 20mph speed limits around their homes and their children’s schools. Slow traffic means safer journeys for children. We must do everything we can to keep our children safe.”

Since the introduction of a default 20mph limit in Wales in September 2023, Brake’s Kids Walk sponsor, the insurance company Esure Group, has seen a 20% drop in claims for car incidents in Wales.

If the 20mph limit were to be extended across the UK, Esure has estimated that this could result in an average £50 saving on the cost of insurance for drivers.