Child Pedestrian Training Scheme Evaluation

In 2020, 22 child pedestrians were killed and 953 were seriously injured on Great Britain’s roads according to figures released by the Department for Transport. Knowing how to use our roads safely is a skill everyone should have the opportunity to learn.

We believe that the best place to start to learn about road safety is during the early years of a child’s education. However, a poll conducted by YouGov* and ourselves in 2019, revealed that almost half (49 per cent) of children aged 6-11 have not received any form of pedestrian safety training in the past 12 months.

In 2020-21 the delivery of child pedestrian safety training is likely to have been severely disrupted by COVID. Among the measures needed to reduce the number of collisions involving children is making sure that quality road safety training is provided to every child before they reach secondary school.

In 2020, we commissioned research into the most effective ways to deliver pedestrian safety training to children in Key Stage 2. We surveyed 319 children, aged between 7-9, to assess their knowledge about and feelings towards road safety. As part of the survey, the children were asked to choose a word that described how they feel when they are crossing the road without an adult. The most popular choice was ‘unsafe’ and only 13 per cent said that they felt ‘safe’.

The researchers then explored the effectiveness of different ways of delivering pedestrian safety training, including classroom-based learning and practical lessons in a real life setting. As part of the study, a number of people with responsibility for delivering road safety education were interviewed in order to get their insights in to child pedestrian safety training.

*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 411 parents of 6-11-year-olds in England. Fieldwork was undertaken between January 30 and February 1, 2019. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (18+).