Brake

[potshot]

I think this organisation should stop using children to sell their anti car message. Having children who's siblings or friend injured on the roads to hand in a petition to 10 downing street. I know whatever figures they present will be twisted. It says that 12 children are seriously injured or killed on roads every day. Now how do they define seriously injured and putting it together with killed is totally mis-leading. The figures for london deaths involving children killed on the roads is about six. Six out how many million. I bet the cars were not travelling fast or in a dangerous manner. The main problem is kids are not being taught proper road sense. It doesn't say how many accidents when crossing a road or a passenger in a car, and if they were a passenger in a car where they straped in properly. I think if somebody thinks the roads can be totally safe are living in cloud cockoo land. In the days of the horse and carriage there more accidents and more people killed on the roads than today.

One of their surveys says 75% of children feel swamped by traffic and where did they get these 75% children from, they wouldn't be children of members of break or who been brainwashed by a anti car teacher.

The london borough of bromley dose not have speed humps and 20mph speed limits and yet they have one of the best road saftey records beating the government 10 year target for reducing injuries. Yet on the raod I live within weeks of speed humps going in a child was killed, just walked out in front of a bus. I am sure the speed humps kill people a safe sense of security and they don't take care when crossing. A driver is concentrating more the humps instead of the hazards on the road.

I love the term if we do x the y we will get z meaning we will cut accidents by 75&. The figure of reducing accidents by 75% sounds really greatbut 75% of what. I have seen this figured used and on asking 75% how many accidents in the last 3 year which was 2 so 75% of 2 doesn't sound that great. Somehow there will only 0.5 of a accident in future, I wish I could look into the future like them with their figures I would look to see the lottery numbers in advance. In my area the council said they want to reduce accidents from 25 to 15 but on imspection the figures there had only been 5 accidents in 3 years. It doesn't say if somebody was hit by a car, somebody fell off their bike or it was 2 cars knocking eachother as one emerged from a juction.

Another one of their slogans is kill your speed not a child. This trying to put fear into parents so they can bring in their anti car measures. The other great word is safety, no body can question anything to do with safety. Its for safety and you can't challenge that. It has nothing to do with safety but getting their anti car policies on the political agenda.

Another one of their great ideas is to remove the word accident which will automatically put the blame on the driver and not some kid suddenly running out in front of you. Switzerland have the right idea, if a pedestrian causes a accident they are prosicuted. There was a 11 year old girl who walked out onto a zebra crossing and was hit a by a bus, she was charged with causing a accident. I bet accidents involving pedestrians is low because the pedestrians know if they are at fault they will end up court and not the car driver. I think its refreshing to see some common sense.

I think its terrible how these organisations exploit children to for their own political means.

[dickinson]

I personally think that any measures taken by whatever means to save just 1 child from such a tragedy is acceptable.
I have first hand experience of this topic as I am the parent of 2 children both injured in an RTA, my daughter will never walk again!
As for using children to promote such a campaign I know my daughter would willingly contribute to making our roads safer in whatever way shape or form and I would support her in doing so.

[Helspeth]

Education in any shape or form is the best policy. The children who live in my quiet residential street play on the road all the time, they run out from behind parked cars. As a parent myself, I take care, I drive in low gear to (a) keep my speed down and (b) make a louder engine noise. However, twice a boy (the same one) ran out and I had to brake all on. I told his mum and all she said was 'i've never seen him do it'. Well she wouldn't would she, she's inside while he's playing out!. If I did run him over would I be to blame? Also some children see the car and still don't move off the road. We need lots more education for the children AND their parents about who actually has right of way on the road.

On the other hand, as a pedestrian and as a driver, I encounter many helpful courteous drivers as well as a minority of selfish idiots who like to race and prove they own the road.