RECENT data released by the World Health Organization shows that road traffic injuries are the biggest killer for teenagers across the world.
Manchester road traffic injury victim, 20-year-old, Ryan Hawks said: “I definitely was not informed enough about road safety at school and I didn’t think twice about crossing roads before I had the accident.”
In 2013, whilst Ryan was 15-years-old, he stepped out into a moving car on his way to school. The crash resulted in Ryan breaking his leg but no other people were harmed.
Statistics show that 116 children in Manchester alone were either seriously injured or died due to road traffic injuries in 2015.
Ryan said: “We need more education in schools and to teach children and teenagers to be safe both driving and walking on roads. I am totally not surprised by these new figures.”
Ryan added that he will soon be organising charity events in and around Greater Manchester to raise money and awareness for road safety as well as visiting schools to spread the message himself: “Stop. Look. And think. Please tell your children and don’t just leave it up to their schools because not everyone will be as lucky as I was.”
The recent figures released through the World Health Organization show that in 2015 road injuries were the top cause of death for teenagers across the world aged between 10-19.
Males took up the biggest share and were mostly in poorer countries in Europe, the Americas and the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Chest-infections and self-harm were the highest killers among girls and young women.
More than 3,000 adolescents die every day and in 2015 in Britain, road accidents killed 145 of those people aged 10-19, and left 3,166 more seriously injured.
On their website, Think! the Department of Transport’s campaign, said: “Making young people aware of the risks and providing them with strategies to take positive actions to remain safer are important parts of their development.
“However, we must not suggest that they are always at great risk near traffic and we do not want to say that the only way to be safer is to remain indoors or in cars.”
The Think! team deny Ryan’s claim and said they: “help, plan and deliver the most effective way to teach children to stay safe” on the roads. With use of the booklets and online resources, teachers are being encouraged to use this extra information alongside the school’s curriculum.
For more help and information about how to keep you and your young family safe from road traffic injuries visit the Think! website or the Manchester council website.
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