Pedestrians (Hansard, 31 July 1998)

§ Mrs. Brinton
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research his Department has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on trends in (1) numbers of pedestrians and (2) the number of pedestrian deaths over the last 30 years. [53306]

§ Ms Glenda Jackson
Data on the number of trips made by pedestrians, and the distance they travel, are collected regularly as part of the National Travel Survey. In 1994–96 the distance walked per person per year averaged 200 miles, compared to 244 miles in 1985–86 and 255 miles in 1975–76.
Trends in pedestrian deaths are available from data on accidents collected by the police and local authorities. Deaths have fallen from 2,964 in 1967 to 973 in 1997. A comprehensive list of research on pedestrian safety over the last 30 years is not available, but a wide range of relevant research has been carried out including a study of pedestrian accident causation, and research on traffic calming and safety measures in urban areas. A study of pedestrian behaviour and exposure to risk has recently been completed.
The Department is developing a Walking Strategy which will take account of a wide range of information and research findings on pedestrian safety.

§ Mrs. Brinton
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research his Department has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into (1) the number or child pedestrian deaths over the last 30 years and (2) how the number of child pedestrian deaths compares with other Western European countries. [53307]

§ Ms Glenda Jackson
Child pedestrian deaths, aged 0–14, have reduced from 541 a year in 1967 to 133 in 1997. But this still represents an unsatisfactory rate of 1.1 child pedestrian deaths per 100,000 children, higher than the European average of 1.0.
A summary of recent research on child pedestrians is contained in the booklet my Department produced in June which covers the road safety education of children. A copy of the booklet was placed in the Library.
We have also commissioned MVA and the Institute of Transport Studies at Leeds University to undertake an international study of children's exposure to accidents, and of previous child pedestrian accidents. The study aims to identify the reasons for differences in child pedestrian accident rates between countries and hence identify ways of, and policies for, reducing the child pedestrian accident risk.