Rise in percentage of younger UK children involved in road accidents

The AXA RoadSafe report shows that although there has been a reduction in the number of children involved in road accidents in the UK in recent years, with the figure now standing at over 2,400 per year, there has been an increase in the proportion of those under the age of five being involved in accidents. Out of the children who are injured or killed, 14% are under the age of five, which compares to just 11% in 2001. This means that more than 300 children under the age of five are being injured or killed
June 19, 2013 Read time: 2 mins

The AXA 3441 RoadSafe report shows that although there has been a reduction in the number of children involved in road accidents in the UK in recent years, with the figure now standing at over 2,400 per year, there has been an increase in the proportion of those under the age of five being involved in accidents.

Out of the children who are injured or killed, 14% are under the age of five, which compares to just 11% in 2001. This means that more than 300 children under the age of five are being injured or killed on the roads each year.

The report also shows that out of the accidents taking place during the school run, nearly one in three (32%) involve secondary school children. Many children are thought to be being distracted by mobile phones and other handheld devices, with the AXA RoadSafe report calling for better road safety education, particularly for primary school children.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Distracted driving from smartphone use poses a major road safety threat
    December 10, 2013
    Cell phone use while driving is not appreciated amongst drivers for the risk it presents. And with people growing ever more reliant on smartphones and other hand-held devices, the issue of distracted driving looks set to increase. Automotive manufacturers are installing wifi and other technologies in new generation vehicles in a bid to broaden market appeal, particularly to younger drivers. But it seems little thought has been given to the safety risks these pose should drivers attempt to use them when behi
    Read More
  • Safer roads needed for the gig economy
    May 14, 2019
    Roads everywhere are becoming high-pressure workplaces for millions of gig economy workers, meaning traffic police need a new way to regulate how highways are used. Geoff Hadwick reports from Manchester, UK The way in which the world’s highways are designed, built and used needs to change fast as the gig economy becomes a global phenomenon. Millions of low-paid and badly-trained freelance drivers are now using road as their workplace, all of them working hard under huge amounts of pressure. The tren
    Read More
  • Australia’s road safety problems are a cause for concern
    January 23, 2019
    The Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) has highlighted key problems with road safety. According to the ARRB, these issues must be addressed if Australia’s road casualty rate is to be reduced. Road death tolls are being reduced as he latest results show, but more work needs to be done. According to the ARRB, the road death tolls in Victoria dropped 20% for 2018 when compared with the previous year. This is a major improvement, showing the gains made by Victoria’s road agency VicRoads and the state’s Tr
    Read More
  • Poor road safety worldwide poses a cause for concern
    December 7, 2018
    Poor road safety worldwide is a serious cause for concern, with thousands being injured or killed across the glove every single day. The issue is highlighted by a new report by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This indicates road traffic deaths continue to rise, with annual road fatalities now reaching 1.35 million, compared with 1.25 million just three years ago. The WHO Global status report on road safety 2018 highlights that road traffic injuries are now the leading killer of children and young peo
    Read More

Highlighted Content