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The European Transport Safety Council is calling for renewed action and specific targets to protect underage road users, as the latest report shows that between 2011 and 2020 more than 6000 children under the age of 14 died in road accidents in the European Union.

Out of approximately 40 recommendations to national governments and the EU, ETSC calls for safe cycling and walking routes to schools. According to the new study, only seven countries in Europe have reported mandatory lower speed limits around schools. ETSC says roads around childcare and in urban areas with many cyclists and pedestrians should be designed for 30 km/h and little traffic. The default speed limit on these roads should be 30 km/h, even if these design criteria have not yet been met, ETSC calls on the EU to make this a formal recommendation.

Despite major advances in car safety in recent years, nearly half of child traffic deaths are caused by children traveling in cars. There is only limited data on the correct use of child seats in cars across the EU, but studies have shown that incorrect use remains a major problem. From September 1, 2024, only child seats that meet a new UN standard 'R129' may be sold on the EU market. 

These seats have a more secure design and can only be fitted with an ISOFIX system, reducing the risk of incorrect installation. Fitting ISOFIX anchorage points has been mandatory in new cars in the EU since 2014. ETSC says safer rear-facing seats should be mandated for as long as practicable, preferably until the child is four years old. Child seats should also be subject to reduced VAT rates.

With the European Union set to review driving license rules this year, ETSC is also calling for mandatory theoretical and practical training, as well as a practical exam, to obtain an AM (moped) driver's license. ETSC also warns that 16 European countries allow children aged 14 or 15 to ride a moped, despite a recommended EU minimum age of 16. Above the age of 14, 20% of road deaths among children are moped riders, the vast majority of whom are boys. ETSC says the EU recommended minimum age for driving should not be lowered for any vehicle category.

The study authors also found large differences between countries in child safety. The infant mortality rate in Romania is ten times higher than in Norway, Cyprus and Sweden. While the child mortality in traffic is relatively low, the traffic mortality for the rest of the population is also relatively low and vice versa. If not, it may be partly because children in those countries are more likely to be driven to school and other activities by car than allowed to go there on their own by bike or on foot, the report said. ETSC.

“Losing a child in a traffic accident is a tragedy that no family should experience. While zero child deaths are becoming a reality in some parts of Europe in most years, there is still a long way to go. Many of the safety gains of recent years are due to safer cars, but keeping children safe by locking them in metal cages is a pyrrhic victory. If we want healthy, active children to grow up to be healthy active adults, we need to think differently. Making cities safe for children starts with simple things like lower speeds and school streets. But if we're serious about reducing the hundreds of child deaths that tragically happen each year, we also need to redesign our urban spaces to keep kids separate from fast-moving vehicles and give them space to play and move. ”.

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