Motorists urged to slow down for children

18 January 2011

Pedestrians and motorists are being reminded to take care at pedestrian crossings as children start returning to school in February.

From 2005 to 2009, 32 pedestrians were injured in the Waipa district. Waipa road safety co-ordinator Megan Jolly said the high-risk age group were children aged 5 to 15 years.

Pedestrian crossings are being used more frequently as the number of children walking to school increases. Some children have difficulty judging distances and may step out onto the road without giving drivers time to react.

Motorists need to remember to slow down around schools particularly at peak time, and be prepared to stop at all crossings.

Nationally nearly a third of all crashes involving pedestrians occur on protected crossings such as traffic lights and zebra crossings. The risk and extent of injury increases with the impact speed of a vehicle.

The faster you drive, the harder the impact. A person hit by a vehicle travelling at 30km has about a 95 per cent chance of surviving a crash, whereas the survival rate for someone hit by a vehicle travelling at 70km is only about five per cent.

Several schools in the Waipa district are looking for adult volunteers to help with walking school buses and assist children crossing busy roads.