Article in today's Norwich Evening News.

Online at

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/conte...A26%3A07%3A217

or

http://tinyurl.com/nlg8w

Includes...

"The number of young people hurt in crashes and accidents on roads around
Norwich has rocketed - and experts have pinned the blame on molly-coddling
parents and the rising compensation culture.

The number of people aged 18 or younger being treated at the Norfolk and
Norwich University Hospital's accident and emergency unit has gone up from
183 in 2003/4 to 345 from March last year to the end of February this year."



"According to safety campaign group Royal Society for the Prevention of
Accidents (RoSPA) youngsters are not as road savvy as in the past because
they have been molly-coddled by parents who drive them around everywhere."

"There is a concern that with the increase in car use, parents are cocooning
their children with safety."



"There's got to be some sort of way to get cars to slow down, but it's also
common sense and people haven't got that when they are in a hurry."



"Of the 345 taken to A&E since last March, 51 were pedestrians while the
others were in vehicles or on bicycles.

According to a spokesman for the Norfolk Accident Reduction Partnership,
which records figures for the accidents which have been attended by police,
numbers across the whole of the county have remained stable.

He said: "It could be the case that more young people are going to hospital
with slight injuries. If a child gets knocked off their bike but the police
are not called, we would not record it.

"It may be that people go to hospital more these days after an accident
instead of just patching themselves up at home.""



"Michael Edney of Norfolk police's traffic road policing, said: "We are not
concerned with these figures for a number of reasons.

"We are aware of a certain level of under-reporting of accidents when people
don't report something to us. However, our research shows that collisions
are down in the 18 and under age group.

"It could be because ambulance crews are taking casualties to the Norfolk
and Norwich instead of the James Paget, or that they are going in two or
three days after an accident because they want to make a claim for
compensation.

"It could also be because there is tending to be a higher occupancy in
vehicles with youngsters messing around, having collisions and ending up in
hospital with slight injuries.""



I find it disturbing that the police seem glib about the figures, but then
again, this is Norfolk, where many a motorist is very leniently dealt with
for breaking the law... I am reminded when Vernon was victim of a
hit-and-run and the police really weren't keen on having an officer attend
the scene.

Well, at least I haven't molly-coddled Nathan in this department - getting
him cycling to and from educational establishment will have served him well.

Cheers, helen s







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