Child road safety: achieving the 2010 target - Introduction

When the Government's Road Safety Strategy, Tomorrow's Roads - Safer for Everyone, was published in March 2000, it included targets to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) in Great Britain as a result of road traffic accidents by 40%, and a more stringent target for children (under 16 years of age). The child target is a 50% reduction compared with the average for 1994-98. Both targets to be achieved by 2010.

The Safer for Children chapter of the strategy included a discussion of the problem and described the actions necessary to help achieve those targets. The Road Safety Advisory Panel (RSAP), chaired by the Road Safety Minister, was established to discuss and monitor the progress being made in implementing the strategy. It concluded that, to help achieve the more stringent target applied to the reduction in deaths and serious injuries for children, a RSAP sub-group should be set up to periodically review both the progress being made in saving child casualties and the activities being pursued both within and outside government.

The sub-group has been set up (membership at Annex A) and at its first meeting in October 2000 it was agreed that it should consider an overall action plan. This document, consistent with the remit given to the sub-group, reviews progress so far, considers developments, and brings up to date the action necessary to deliver the target.

Section 2 focuses on what the casualty data tells us; section 3 reviews strategy progress so far; section 4 outlines the Department's research programme; section 5 refers to our demonstration projects; section 6 describes publicity initiatives; and section 7 sets out how all road safety partners can contribute in taking the strategy forward.