http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life ... 426348.eceCareful parents may cost livesBen Webster, Transport Correspondent
Parents who forbid their children to cross roads alone may be preventing them from learning vital lessons in how to avoid being run over, according to an analysis of official figures.
The proportion of children who are never allowed to cross a road unsupervised has risen each year for the past five years. But the number of child pedestrians being killed is also rising.
Department for Transport research found that, last year, almost half (49 per cent) of parents with children aged 7-10 said that they never allowed them to cross the road on their own, compared with 41 per cent in 2002.
Over the same period, the number of child pedestrians killed in that age range rose from 10 to 18.
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The overall rate of road deaths for all children under 16 rose by 20 per cent between 2005 and 2006, from 141 to 169.
The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety said that parents needed to understand the risks of being overprotective. Rob Gifford, the council’s director, said: “Parents should consider whether forbidding their children from crossing the road unaccompanied is exposing them subsequently to additional risk. They may not acquire the skills they need.
“Children need to learn to cross the road on their own and the answer may be to encourage them to do so initially while being watched.â€