This review is an updated summary of the relevant part of the author's report "Cutting Pedestrian Accidents: Cost-Effective ways to make Walking Safer". Due to increasing road traffic in the UK, the freedom of British children to go out alone and play with their friends has been severely reduced during recent decades. To decide the best way of reducing the number of fatalities and injuries to children, it is important to consider: (1) where the accidents occur; (2) which groups of children are most vulnerable; (3) what the children were doing at the time of their accidents; and (4) what safety measures have been shown to be useful. Several statistics are presented. Child pedestrian death rates per 100,000 population, for children in age groups 0-9 and 10-14, are tabulated for 25 countries, including the UK; most of the figures are for 1992, but a few are for 1991. Examples of percentage casualty reductions for all road users, as a result of traffic calming, are given for selected schemes in Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, and England. Traffic calming and other measures need to address the need to play in safety, home zones in residential areas, and the journey to and from school. Seven recommended measures are outlined.
Samenvatting