Car bans outside of schools

In November 2011 my daughter Hope was walking home from her school which she loved so much.

The school is surrounded by very busy roads, such as Kings Heath High Street, Birmingham, which is known for its density of HGVs and other traffic.

Hope was pushing her new bike along the pavement when she reached a puffin crossing, where she was run over by an 18-ton HGV.

When I looked into the collision itself and at the surrounding contributory factors, I realised that she was not the first to die in this very public and violent manner, and nor will she be the last unless we, as a society, act upon this overwhelming and very upsetting epidemic.

Our children are being killed outside their schools by motorised traffic. How is it possible that we, as a society, are allowing this to happen?

I have been campaigning ever since her death to raise awareness of this issue, to help people to acknowledge and take responsibility for children’s wellbeing nationwide.

I couldn’t be more happy to hear about the pilot project launched at three schools in Solihull, not too far from where Hope died, where traffic will be banned to ensure the safety of children there, and to encourage healthier means of getting to school such as walking and cycling.

I’d invite all headteachers and our police to enforce this new scheme immediately, UK-wide.

Nazan Fennell, road safety campaigner and RoSPA Archangel Award winner