Youngsters at London Fields Primary School spearheaded a global road safety campaign this week, urging drivers to slow down.

Hackney Gazette: London Fields Primary schoochildren create awareness about safe cycling and walking through the GO 20 campaign.London Fields Primary schoochildren create awareness about safe cycling and walking through the GO 20 campaign. (Image: Archant)

The initiative is part of the United Nation’s Global Road Safety Week, which has seen 11 charities come together in the GO 20 coalition, calling for 20mph speed limits to ensure children can walk or cycle to school without the fear of fast traffic.

The school in Westgate Street is being held up as a positive example of what can be done to benefit children’s road safety, and more children travel in by bike since a 20mph limit on residential roads was implemented in the borough.

Head of school, Caroline Tyson, said: “Reducing the speed of the traffic can only help to further encourage children and families to walk and cycle which, along with other awareness-raising initiatives we run at school, helps to build a better community.”

Every day in the UK 12 children are run over and hurt when walking or cycling to or from school - and two of these children are killed or suffer serious, sometimes life-long, injuries

Drivers travelling at 20mph have more time to react and stop in time if they need to than those travelling at 30mph.