Shocking number of children killed or injured on Sheffield's roads revealed

Road safety charity Brake has published the figures today as youngsters across Yorkshire and the Humber take part in a ‘march for safer roads’.

The aim is to raise awareness that 36 children are killed or injured on the region’s roads every week.

Nationally more than 50,000 youngsters between four and 11 will take to the streets today in short supervised walks in a project between Brake and insurance company esure to help learn about road safety and to call upon adults to make the roads safer.

The latest casualty figures available for Sheffield show that in 2019, 132 children were injured on the roads.

The figure was down from 166 in 2018, 184 in 2017, 172 in 2016 and 194 in 2015.

Latest Department for Transport figures for 2019 show that Yorkshire and the Humber has the fourth highest child road casualty figures in the UK, although it is the seventh most populated region.

Scott Williams, head of programme delivery at Brake, said: “It’s every child’s right to be able to walk in their community without fear of traffic and pollution. Throughout the pandemic, families have taken to the streets on foot and by bike and we hope these activities will continue as restrictions lift and ordinary road traffic returns.

“It is vital that children are able to walk safely in the places where they live. Although numbers of children killed or injured in Yorkshire and the Humber shows positive signs of decline, every road death or injury is one too many and causes devastation for families, schools and communities.

“This year we hope to inspire as many children, schools and families as possible to call for safe and healthy journeys for children through our Brake’s Kids Walk event.”

David McMillan, CEO at esure Group, added: “We are thrilled to have partnered with Brake to sponsor this year’s event as we believe in the importance of road safety for children everywhere.

“We want to be a force for good and make a real difference by focusing on better and safer driving. Brake’s Kids Walk is an important opportunity to raise awareness about road safety message.”

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