Police campaign to keep kids safe is launched

The Vulnerable Road Users campaign will focus on three categories of people – children, cyclists and the elderly.

Figures show that child pedestrians are more at risk before and after school hours – at 8am and from 3pm to 6pm, with a peak at 3pm. This phase of the campaign urges children who are settling into a new school term to remain vigilant whilst crossing the country’s roads. 71 of the 200 people who died on Scotland’s roads in 2014 were from these three groups – which equates to 36 per cent of fatalities. A further 2,664 vulnerable road users were injured in the same period. Figures show August is the month during which fatal collisions are most prevalent, with adults most likely to be killed or seriously injured on our roads on Fridays and Saturdays, between 3pm and 6pm.

The campaign will also highlight the changes other road users – specifically cyclists and the elderly – experience at the start of the term, having adapted their driving, cycling and pedestrian behaviour to suit quieter roads and pavements during the summer break.

Supported by a range of organisations, including Road Safety Scotland, the Scottish Ambulance Service, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Age Scotland and Brake, the campaign will run from August 2015 until Spring 2016, and focus on people throughout the Road Users Life Cycle, highlighting the risks faced by each category of road user.

Officers will take every available opportunity to educate both drivers and vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, as to the inherent dangers uniquely associated with their circumstances Chief Superintendent Iain Murray, Head of Road Policing, said: “Pedestrians, especially the young and the elderly, are particularly at risk, and as kids across the country go back to school, we want to make drivers think about how their actions, carelessness or inattention may impact these vulnerable groups.

“After nearly eight weeks of holidays, the roads will again be busier in the mornings and during the late afternoon. The area in the immediate vicinity of schools and residential estates will see more activity, and there is always the chance a child could step onto the road without looking properly.

“We are therefore asking drivers, parents and children themselves to be careful, and to develop new stay safe routines as the school term starts. To help to focus minds, officers will prioritise activity in and around these areas of vulnerability to makes sure that the roads are safe for all.

“The roads of Scotland are used in a myriad of ways by differing groups of people, and each has its own needs, risks and vulnerabilities. We all share the same roads, and it is therefore vitally important we all further develop our understanding of what these risks and vulnerabilities are if we are to maintain respect for each other, and to use the roads safely.” Michael McDonnell, Director of Road Safety Scotland, said: “We all share the road space and need to be constantly aware of what is going on around us and of what other people are doing. As drivers that means good observation skills and making good decisions about appropriate speed for the circumstances; as cyclists it means following the rules of the road and being aware of dangerous manoeuvres; and for pedestrians it means crossing where it is safe to do so and not taking any chances.

“Ideally, people should be able to complete every journey safely but, sadly, statistics prove that is not the case. If we foster mutual respect for other road users and take responsibility for their safety as well as our own, we will help make safer journeys a reality rather than just an aspiration.”