Last year, tragically, 218 children were killed on British Roads. A figure that has increased despite the millions of pounds of public money spent on speed cameras, traffic calming and anti-speed campaigns.
 
Whilst some pressure groups are doubtless well-meaning in their call for more anti-speed measures, the Government's own figures show that the focus on speed to the exclusion of all other factors is actually making our roads more dangerous.
 
ABD Road Safety Spokesman Mark McArthur-Christie said:

'Setting a safe speed for the conditions is a key element of safe driving, but simply telling everyone to slow down is simplistic and unrealistic. We need a coherent approach to road safety ­ and one that recognises ALL road users need to take responsibility for safety, not just drivers.'

ABD chairman Brian Gregory said:

'The level of child casualties is scandalous. It is unfortunate that many pressure groups and authorities misuse child fatalities to get speed limits lowered and cameras installed when speed is not necessarily the problem. In their vigour to do this, they fail to address the real cause of the accident and the fatality levels do not fall.'

McArthur-Christie continues:

'Hammering the "speed kills" mantra sends the message that all you have to do to avoid killing a child is stick to a limit. Nothing could be further from the truth.'

The Association of British Drivers calls for an integrated programme of road safety measures to address the real causes of accidents, including:

• A balanced national road safety advertising campaign that recognises that it's carelessness and failure to set speed to the conditions, not breaking of speed limits that kills.
• Road safety education for all road users
• Incentivised training for drivers and motorcyclists
• Better funded traffic police patrols targeting genuinely dangerous driving