What do parents think about road safety (2023 survey)?

Key findings:

• 77% would like to walk more often with their children
• 76% rank parents as top choice for teaching children road safety
• 14% say their child rarely or never sits in a child seat
• 31% think it's ok for drivers to stop on double yellow lines, or zig zag lines outside school
• 66% worry their child may be hit by a vehicle when travelling to school

In question 1, we asked parents to rate their agreement with a number of statements about the roads where they lived.

It was encouraging to see that the majority (84%) of respondents feel there are safe footpaths and pavements for them to use, although a smaller proportion (59%) said there are safe cycle paths. Almost three-quarters of people (73%) agreed that there are safe places to cross the road, but almost a third (31%) said that traffic doesn’t move at safe speeds on the roads where they live. When asked if they felt their journeys were free from traffic pollution, more than 41% either disagreed or strongly disagreed.

These responses suggest there is a level of anxiety for road users with regard to health and safety on the roads where they live, due to the speed of traffic and the pollution it causes. People living in London were most likely to say their journeys were free from traffic pollution, with 65% agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement.

In question 2, we shifted focus to the modes of transport most frequently used by our respondents for short journeys.

Journeys on foot or by car were most popular. Almost half of parents and carers (46%) told us that they walk every day, while 37% use the car daily. Overall, four-fifths (80%) of respondents told us they make short journeys on foot on three or more days a week. By contrast, only 6% told us they cycle short journeys every day, and less than a third (30%) cycle on three or more days a week.

Parents living in London are least likely to walk daily (40%) compared with respondents living in other areas of the UK (national average is 45%), but they are also most likely to use public transport every day – 13% of London use public transport daily, compared with the national average of just 8%. Only 2% of parents in Wales told us they use public transport every day. This may reflect reduced access to public transport networks in areas outside the capital. One in five (21%) respondents told us they never use public transport.

In Question 3, we zoomed in on some of the respondents’ routines and behaviours when making journeys with their children.

It was reassuring to see that the majority of parents and carers are taking some measures to keep young children safe on roads. Around four-fifths of respondents told us their child(ren) usually or always hold their hand when walking near (77%) or crossing (80%) roads. A similar percentage (82%) said their child(ren) usually or always crosses roads at safe crossing places, such as zebra crossings or traffic lights where available, while 85% wait for the green crossing signal before crossing the road.

Not surprisingly, parents or carers of older children appear to allow their children to use roads more independently, although two-thirds (66%) of parents or carers of children aged 9-11 told us they usually or always hold hands with their child(ren) when walking near roads.

In keeping with the answers to question 2, the car seems to be the preferred mode of transport, although it is concerning to hear from 14% of parents and carers that their child(ren) rarely or never sit in a child seat when travelling by car. UK law requires children to use approved child seats until they’re 12 years old or 135 cm tall, whichever comes first.

In question 4, we asked whether people would like to walk or cycle with their children more often, and explored what factors would encourage or discourage them to do so.

An overwhelming 77% of respondents said they would like to walk or cycle more with their children (14% said they wouldn’t, and 9% said they didn’t know).

When we asked those who would like to walk or cycle more often what factors would encourage them to do so, the most popular reasons given were if they had more time (37%) or the journey was shorter (36%). Safety factors were next highest ranked by respondents, who told us they needed safe pavements and footpaths (33%) and cycle paths (34%), to enable them to walk or cycle more often.

When we flipped the question to ask what factors discourage people from making short journeys on foot or by bike, a lack of safe cycle paths was the reason cited by most respondents (28%), with lack of time the next most popular reason (26%). Almost a quarter (23%) said it was not convenient.

In question 5, we turned our attention to parents’ and carers’ thoughts about their child(ren)’s behaviour on the roads and things they are concerned about.

One of the key areas of focus for Brake’s Beep Beep! Days is the importance of children holding hands with an adult when walking near roads. We asked parents and carers whether they experience resistance from their child(ren) when asked them to hold hands.

Just under half (47%) of respondents said their child(ren) thinks they are too old to hold hands when walking near roads, while a third (32%) told us their child(ren) refuses to hold their hand.

When asked how they felt about their child(ren) making their own way to school, half of respondents (50%) said they would like their child(ren) to have more independence, and 47% felt confident that their child was more aware of road safety than their friends. However, a large number of parents also expressed fears about their child’s safety when using roads. Two-thirds (66%) told us they worry that their child may be hit by a vehicle when travelling to school, and 55% feel concerned that pollution from traffic may be damaging their child(ren)’s health.

It seems those concerns continue throughout childhood as the figures remained largely consistent regardless of the age of the child.

In question 6, we asked parents and carers about their own behaviours when using roads.

We wanted to explore whether those with primary care responsibilities may be modelling unsafe behaviours when using roads, especially in front of younger children. We were interested in finding out what shortcuts people are prepared to take when out with their child(ren).

It’s widely accepted that crossing roads between parked vehicles can be hazardous, as it has the potential to obstruct the view of both those crossing and those driving. Yet more than 35% of parents and carers admitted to doing this sometimes, and 14% told us they often did so. Almost two-fifths (37%) of people told us they sometimes or often park on the pavement.

The younger respondents in our survey appear to be more more likely to take these risks. More than a quarter (28%) of parents and carers aged 17–24 said they often crossed between parked cars with the children they cared for. In contrast, none of our respondents aged 55 and over said they did this. 16% of parents and carers aged 17–24 said they often parked on the pavement, compared with just 2% of people aged 55 or over.

We also found that respondents admit to often driving faster than the speed limit (9%), driving the morning after drinking alcohol (7%), crossing the road while using a phone (7%) and driving with a child who is not using a child seat (9%).

In all cases, there is a significant correlation with age, with younger respondents much more likely to take risks when using roads. Men also appear to be more prepared to take risks than women.

In question 7, we asked people who they thought should take most responsibility for teaching children about road safety.

We asked them to rank the following in order from 1 (most responsible) to 6 (least responsible):

• Parents/carers
• Educators
• Road safety professionals
• Emergency services
• Local authorities
• Government

Parents were overwhelmingly the top choice for most respondents, with more than four-fifths (83%) of respondents ranking them first (76%) or second (7%).

Educators were also a very popular choice, ranked first or second by more than two-thirds (68%) of respondents.

In question 8, we asked questions to find out when parents and carers thought children should be able to use more independently.

Overall, most respondents seemed to think that from the age of 9 onwards children can use roads more independently. Almost three-quarters (74%) think that children older than 9 are able to walk to school on their own or with friends, while with more than half (51%) think children this age are able to cross a road without holding a grown up’s hand. However, when it comes to cycling on roads, 60% believe that children should wait until they are at least 12 years old, perhaps marking the transition from primary to secondary school.

When asked when a child is able travel in a car without sitting is a child seat, almost a thirds of respondents told us that this would happen between the ages of 2 and 8, even though the UK law stipulates that children should use a child seat until they are 12 (or 135cm tall).

In question 9, we asked respondents’ opinions on other areas of road safety.

Some of the answers were surprising and appear to indicate that although people understand the risks associated with some activities, they are still prepared to do those things themselves.

Nearly a third (31%) said it was ok for drivers to stop on double yellow lines, or zig zag lines outside school, but more than twice as many (70%) told us they think it’s dangerous to park on pavements.

Safety measures to protect people inside and outside vehicles were overwhelmingly supported, with 85% of respondents agreeing that everyone should wear a helmet when cycling, while 90% said they made sure everyone in the car is belted up safely before every journey.

However, that latter statistic contradicts the responses given to the next statement: ‘On very short journeys, it’s ok if my child(ren) doesn’t sit in a child seat’. Almost a third (30%) of respondents agreed/strongly agreed that this was ok.