Parents whose children are going to secondary school for the first time should take time during the summer to familiarise their youngsters with the walk to school or the bus-stop - before the start of term, says the AA Motoring Trust.
Greater independence with the switch from primary school doubles the likelihood of an 11-year-old pupil being killed or seriously injured on the school journey. Overall, in 2003, the accident rate for 11 year olds injured on UK roads was more than 50 per cent higher than for 10 year olds: 1,366 incidents compared to 891 for pupils in the last year of primary school.
Whereas primary school children who walk to school will be accompanied by an adult, secondary school children go alone. In some places, the walk to the bus stop can be as long and as dangerous as the walk to school in other areas. It is only in trips by car that secondary school pupils are accompanied by parents, but the number of children going by car halves compared to when they were primary school pupils, from 38 to 21 per cent.
"Schoolchildren are in a rush to show their peers how grown-up they are and not being chaperoned to school is one way to prove it. However, parents should walk the route with their children during the holidays to find the safest way and point out the dangers," says Andrew Howard, head of road safety for the AA Motoring Trust.
"The most direct route, which is the way most children would go, is often not the best. Crossing main roads on their own, judging traffic speeds and gauging driver reactions are some of the understated skills a youngster will have to learn. Guidance from a parent, who has experience both as a pedestrian and driver, can be the difference between life and death."
