In 10 years, 6 thousand child victims of the road in the EU, 467 in Italy

More than 6 thousand children in the European Union who in the decade 2011-2020 were victims of the road, 467 of them (7.78% of the total) were Italian.

Road accidents in the EU

and, on average, after the first year of age, one in 15 childhood deaths is caused by a road collision.

All this, despite the fact that, between 2010 and 2020, the mortality of children (deaths per million inhabitants of childhood) on European roads fell by 46%, while, for all other age groups, it fell by 36%. .

These are just some of the many worrying data that emerge from the reading of "

, the new report published as part of the ETSC "Road Safety Performance Index" program (www.etsc.eu/pinflash43). , the European Transport Safety Council.    

"Losing a child in a car accident - said Antonio Avenoso, Etsc executive director - is a tragedy that no family should experience. Although, in some parts of Europe, zeroing child mortality is becoming a reality, the way to go. it's still a long way to go ".

"Many of the advances in safety in recent years - added Avenoso - have been achieved thanks to safer cars. Keeping children safe by locking them in metal cages, however, is a 'Pyrrhic victory'. If we want children to be healthy and safe. active become healthy and active adults, we must change our way of thinking ".

"

- concluded the ETSC executive director - simple things are enough, such as

. If, however, we really want to reduce the hundreds of tragic deaths of children that occur every year," we need to redesign our urban spaces, to keep children separate from fast vehicles, and create spaces where the little ones can play and move around safely ".    

Among the approximately 40 recommendations that the European Council for Transport Safety addresses to the governments of the Member States and to the EU, safe cycling and walking routes to schools.

According to the ETSC, roads around childcare facilities and in urban areas with many cyclists and pedestrians should be designed for speeds of

, and have traffic restrictions. 

As the European Union will review driving license rules this year, ETSC is also calling for mandatory theoretical and practical training, as well as a practical test, to obtain an AM (moped) driving license.

The ETSC also points out that 16 European countries (including Italy) allow children to drive a moped at the age of 14 or 15, despite an EU-recommended minimum age of 16.

At 14, 20% of road deaths are on mopeds, the vast majority of them boys.

Finally, the ETSC states that the minimum age recommended by the EU (16 years) for unaccompanied driving of cars should not be lowered.