Charity calls for 20mph speed limit as default near schools

Brake has sent a letter to Future Roads Minister Lillian Greenwood MP calling for the government to commit to introducing 20mph as the default speed limit on roads in built-up and residential areas where children travel to school.

With excess speed a factor in a quarter of fatal road crashes, the charity urges the Minister to prioritise measures that will make children’s journeys to and from school safer as part of its Road Safety Strategy. 

According to research by Brake, four-fifths (80%) of parents and carers surveyed would like roads near their home and children’s schools to have a speed limit of 20mph. In addition, 85% of those surveyed said they would like the Government to do more to make roads safer in their community.

Of the 2,010 parents and carers of primary schoolchildren surveyed, more than half (55%) would like their children to walk or wheel to school more often, but many say they can’t because the roads are too busy (40%), traffic moves too fast (28%) and there are no suitable crossings (14%).

More than 85,000 children (aged 4–11) from more than 600 schools and youth groups are taking part in Brake's Kids Walk today, to shout out for their right to make safe and healthy journeys without fear or threat from traffic.

To coincide with the launch of the walk, Brake has highlighted the true extent of child casualties on the nation's roads (see Table 1).

Latest official figures show that 6,069 children aged 4–11 were harmed on UK roads in 2023; of these, 28 children died and a further 1,077 suffered serious injuries. This means that, on average, more than 16 primary schoolchildren are harmed on our roads every single day – that's equivalent to a whole classroom of children every two days.

The data also shows that in 2023, 2,299 children aged 4–11 were harmed while walking, 560 while cycling and 2,934 children while travelling by car [1,2].

The 85,000 school children taking part in Brake’s Kids Walk will complete a short, supervised walk around their schools and/or communities. They will carry banners and posters, provided by Brake, to help raise awareness of the five things they need to help keep them safe near roads: slower traffic, cleaner traffic, better footpaths, better cycle paths, and safe places to cross roads.

Luca Straker, campaigns manager at Brake, said: “We all want children to be able to travel to and from school safely. But, sadly, every day, more than 16 primary schoolchildren are harmed on our roads. We know that excess speed is a factor in about a quarter of fatal crashes – and the physics is pretty straightforward: the faster a vehicle is travelling, the harder it hits and the greater the impact.

“We have good evidence to show that by lowering the speed limits on our roads, we reduce the risk of people being harmed. In September 2023, the Welsh Government took a bold step in reducing the default speed limit on roads in built-up and residential areas to 20mph. Within the first year, collisions on these roads had reduced by 26%.

“Our research also shows us that people want 20mph speed limits around their homes and their children’s schools. Slow traffic means safer journeys for children. We must do everything we can to keep our children safe!”

Since the introduction of a default 20mph limit in Wales in September 2023, Brake’s Kids Walk sponsor, the insurance company esure Group, has seen a 20% drop in claims for car incidents in Wales. If the 20mph limit were to be extended across the UK, esure has estimated that this could result in an average £50 saving on the cost of insurance for drivers. As well as making roads safer for all road users, including people who walk and cycle, 20mph speed limits also provide a benefit to drivers through reduced insurance premiums at a time of economic pressures.

David McMillan, CEO of esure, said: “As a motor insurer, we are passionate about supporting initiatives for safer roads and cleaner air. We’re proud to sponsor Brake’s Kids Walk for 2025, our fifth year supporting this event.”