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The decline in school crossing patrols
School crossing patrols
School crossing patrols (or lollipop men and women) provide a vital service by helping children cross roads safely on their way to school. In England, about 8.3 million children make their way to school and back every day – half of these travelling on foot.
But in recent years, recruitment has become a major problem and the number of school crossing patrols has decreased steadily. The result is that many locations are now without a lollipop person, meaning that children’s lives are being put in danger while they make the journey from their home to school.
CHILD DEATHS AND INJURIES ON THE ROAD
Pedestrian injury is the leading cause of accidental death of children in Great Britain.
In 2004, 3,905 children were killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads. Of these 2,339 were on foot.
The incident rate for children peaks between 8am and 9am , when they are travelling to school, and again at 3pm when they leave.
Incidents on school journeys account for:
· 14.6% of all 5-7 year old casualties
· 21.0% of all 8-11 year old casualties
· 23.9% (nearly one in four) of all 12-15 year old casualties
HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL CROSSING PATROL
The School Crossing Patrol Service was officially introduced in the 1950s by the Metropolitan Service as part of The London Traffic (Children Crossing Traffic Notices) Law of 1953.
The Act allowed any person authorised by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police using the prescribed traffic sign, to stop traffic in order to allow children to cross. Traffic had to stop before reaching the patrol’s sign and not start again until the sign was lowered. The fine for drivers not stopping for a patrol was £5.
In 2000, the law changed and responsibility for school crossing patrols fell with local authorities. However, local authorities have the option of providing a school crossing patrol service if they wish – it is not a legal requirement.
In January 2001, the law changed again and gave school crossing patrols the power to help anyone across the road, not just children.
THE DECLINE OF CROSSING PATROLS
In recent years, the number of lollipop men and women has declined at an alarming rate. In 2005, there were 28,000. This left at least 25% of posts vacant across the country.
Survey
Research carried out by Jet in 2005 showed that the safety of school children across the UK was in jeopardy due to the continued shortage of lollipop patrols. Councils across the country reported an average 18% shortage. In some areas the shortage was much higher – in the London Borough of Lambeth shortfalls were as high as 70%.
Taken from the Brake road safety charity website. Click the link below to see the full article
http://www.brake.org.uk/index.php?p=614
The Local Government Road Safety Officers Association (LARSOA) website is perhaps, one of the most comprehensive road safety sites in the UK.
To find out more about all aspects of road safety, please click the graphic link below.
