Glasgow has highest rate of child casualties on Scots roads

Glasgow has the highest rate of child casualties on the roads in Scotland, a report has revealed, while UK-wide figures show that more children die on the roads in the longer summer days than in winter.

Many children are injured in road accidents involving cycling. Picture: Contributed

A total of 16.93 children per 10,000 residents were killed in Scotland’s biggest city between 2010 and 2014, according to figures released by the RAC Foundation. Edinburgh was the second highest in Scotland, with 16.17 casualties per 10,000 people. However, Scotland’s roads are safer for youngsters than many areas of England and Wales, with Glasgow ranked just 130th in the UK in terms of the child casualty rate.

Orkney and the Shetlands are bottom of the UK-wide list, with just 4.54 casualties per 10,000 residents over the four year period. Dundee has one of the highest levels of children who are killed or seriously injured on its roads, ranking 28th, UK-wide.

Meanwhile, the RAC Foundation warned that the summer months, when children are more likely to be outside, were more dangerous and urged youngsters and their parents to be aware of the potential risks.

The better weather and longer days means that more children are playing outside or cycling and walking to school, which could potentially mean a greater exposure to risk, the report warned.

The biggest number of child road casualties in Britain were recorded in the month of July, according to research based on a five-year average from 2010 to 2014.

There were 227 under-15s killed or seriously injured during this period, from a total of 1,733 casualties in that age bracket.

The lowest monthly averages were recorded in December.

Steve Gooding, the RAC Foundation director, said: “Instinctively we think of the dark, cold months as taking the biggest toll on our children. But the opposite is true.

“With the longer, warmer days, children are more likely to be out and about and with that comes a rise in casualties.

“We don’t want to wrap our children in cotton wool, and walking and cycling are generally good for our health, so as adults and parents we need to lead by example whether we are driving a car, crossing the road or on two wheels.”

The figures showed that 2,250 under-15s were killed or seriously injured between 2010-14, when there were a total of 17,755 casualties.

They found that 40 per cent of all child road casualties are pedestrians, while 13 per cent are cyclists.

The peak hour for child road casualties was between 3pm and 4pm. There is also a spike in the morning between 8am and 9am, coinciding with school “rush hours”.