Slow Down, Stay Alive

Pictured: Children from Knowsley form a 30 mph sign

In a hard hitting campaign, timed as the summer holidays approach, local children in Knowsley have graphically shown how dangerous speeding on local roads is.

100 children formed a 30 mph sign in their playground to indicate to drivers that this is the speed limit on local roads. They wanted to highlight that even then half of pedestrians hit at this speed are killed.

The demonstration coincided with the Government’s announcement of its speed reduction campaign which is fully embraced by Knowsley Council and the other local authorities on Merseyside.

Andy Wilson, Knowsley’s Road Safety Manager, commented, “About two thirds of all crashes in which people are killed happen where the speed limit is 30 mph or less. Seven out of 10 drivers regularly exceed the speed limit, though not usually more than five or six miles per hour. This may not seem much when you are in a car, but for the safety of pedestrians, it makes a huge difference.”

Councillor Ron Round, Knowsley’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Development, commented, “As the summer holidays approach, children will be spending more time playing in the road. It is vital that drivers realise that if a child runs out in front of them their excessive speed could mean the difference between life and death. Knowsley Council, along with our counterparts in the other boroughs, urges all drivers to heed the message from the children and slow down, especially on minor roads where most crashes happen.”