Children at ‘increasing risk on roads’

Deaths and serious injury rates on the roads for children aged under five are at the highest rate for 10 years, according to a report.

Pedestrian casualties for girls aged eight are now at their highest rate since 2005, says the report from insurance company AXA and road safety groups. Road casualties among girls under eight rose by 38 per cent between 2010 and 2011, while reported cases of girls aged five to seven in serious accidents when walking have increased by 45 per cent in the past five years.

Thirty-two per cent of pedestrians involved in serious accidents during the school run are aged 11 to 12 while the pedestrian casualty rate for girls rises steeply from the age of 11, and 11-year-old girls are three times as likely to be involved in an accident as a 10-year-old.

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The findings were based on AXA-commissioned research from agency Opinium, which submitted requests under the Freedom of Information Act.

AXA also published the results of a survey of mobile phone usage among 1,000 young people aged eight to 18. This survey showed:

An 11-year-old is six times more likely to text on the way to school than a 10-year-old – possibly due to going to secondary school for the first time, and being given more independence;

The age of 11, the highest risk age for child pedestrians, is now the average age at which children receive their first mobile phone;

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By the age of 12, nearly 73 per cent of children have a mobile phone, while 25 per cent of 12-year-olds acknowledge that they have been distracted by personal technology when crossing a road;

Almost half (46 per cent) of 11 and 12-year-olds say they use their phones most from 3pm to 6pm;

A 12 to 15-year-old is more than four times as likely to be involved in an accident as a passenger, than an eight to 11-year-old.

Adrian Walsh, founder of lobbying group RoadSafe, said: “Parents often ask for guidance on how best to keep their children safe on our roads. They need to know when and where they may be at risk, whether travelling in cars, walking, cycling or playing. This report helps to put these risks into context.”

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