A NEW child safety hotline aims to name and shame killer roads.
Huddersfield-based national road safety charity Brake launched the hotline for parents and residents to speak out on roads near schools and residential areas where children on foot or bikes are at risk.
The Zak the Zebra hotline (0800 068 7780) aims to help Brake compile a list of dangerous roads across the UK.
The list is to be presented to Downing Street during Road Safety Week in November.
Mary Williams, Brake's chief executive, said: "Death and injuries of children on our roads devastate families and communities.
"The death toll on our roads is appalling. Not enough is being done to save our children's lives.
"We want people to report dangerous roads where crashes, injuries or near-misses have occurred, to help us gather evidence for our Watch Out There's a Kid About campaign."
Best-selling children's writer Jacqueline Wilson, who was in Huddersfield last week, said: "I am horrified that road crashes are such a big killer of young people in this country.
"I am happy to give Brake my full support for this campaign and hope that we can hammer home the message that we adults need to do all we can to make our roads safer."
All callers to the hotline receive a free Zak P ak, an action pack of resources to help them set up campaigns and educate local road users.
The Zak the Zebra hotline is part of Brake's Watch Out There's a Kid About campaign.
It aims to reduce the numbers of children killed on our roads by campaigning for:
* 20mph Speed limit around schools and residential areas
* More speed cameras, pedestrian crossings, pavements and cycle paths around schools
* Modern high-visibility signs highlighting speed limits
* Improved education for children and young people through compulsory road saftey education in schools
* Better transport to and from school
* Tougher penalties for drivers who kill.
* Road accidents are the biggest killers of children aged 12 to 16 years.
* In 2003, 74 child pedestrians under 16 died and 12,740 were injured.
* Deaths of pedestrians aged eight to 19 rose from 87 in 2002 to 110 in 2003, a rise of 26% .
