The number of children and teenagers killed in a road accident has dramatically decreased, but ahead of the start of the 2023-2024 school year, caution remains needed.
Between 1992 and 2022, the number of young road deaths has decreased by ten-fold: 30 years ago, 90 children aged 0-14 were killed in traffic in Belgium a figure that had dropped to eight in 2022, traffic institute Vias reported on Monday.
"Although the situation has objectively improved over the years, partly due to adjustments to infrastructure and the installation of zone 30 near schools, we must continue to strive for a further decrease in the number of (young) traffic fatalities," Vias' spokesperson Stef Willems said.
"Indeed, last school year, 14 children were still injured in our traffic every day on their way to school or back home."
On the occasion of the start of the school year for French-speaking students, and ahead of the first day back to school for Flemish pupils (1 September), the institute called for extra vigilance from all road users, as for some, it is the first time they venture into traffic unaccompanied by their parents.
'Pivotal point'
Last week, the Walloon Road Safety Agency (AWSR) stressed that road accidents involving young people aged between 12 and 17 tend to increase by about one-fifth during September and October compared with July and August.
This can be partly explained by the results of a Vias survey which showed that just over half of 12- to 14-year-olds (51%) travel to school alone, compared to just over a third for 10- and 11-year-olds (36%), finding that the transition to secondary "appears to be a pivotal point in this." A third of young people who do not ride to school alone are accompanied by a friend who rides along.
Vias' survey found that younger people are not always aware of all the risks in traffic: 42% of 12-14-year-olds say they already read or send a message while cycling and 54% of cyclists between 12 and 14 years old say they listen to music while cycling. As children get older, they are also less likely to wear a bicycle helmet.
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"It is therefore essential to make proper arrangements from the time you no longer accompany your child, but they ride to school with other peers. This can be done by coordinating well with the parents of the other children riding along so that there is unanimity among other things on the route to be followed, how luggage is transported, wearing a bicycle helmet and having working bicycle lights to be used when necessary."
Vias has stressed that all road users should follow traffic regulations and certainly respect speed limits. "When overtaking cyclists, you should also keep a sufficient lateral distance. Certainly, pay extra attention at pedestrian crossings and always make eye contact."
