All entries for Tuesday 06 May 2008

Children cycling

Writing about web page http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7380691.stm

This report on the BBC news web site says that parents are scared to let their children cycle except in or very near to their own street:-

Parents’ fears about road safety are turning children into a lost generation of cyclists, says a government-backed agency that promotes cycling. Four out of five children are banned from cycling to school by their parents, a poll of 1,079 parents for Cycling England suggests. This compares with the 35% of parents who were allowed to bike to school when they were children themselves.

It’s another symptom of the way our society has become more risk averse, and like other examples (unsupervised play, fear of kidnap, etc.) it’s not supported by the statistics; in 2006 there were 10 times more accidents involving cars than there were accidents involving bicycles, and long-term, cycling accidents, especially those which involve serious injury or death, are in decline. But will I put my money where my mouth is when the time comes, and my own children are old enough to cycle to school, crossing the A45 as they go?

John Dale : 06 May 2008 09:43 |  Tags: Cycling |  Comments (17) |  Close comments |  Report a problem