After nearly being struck last week, an Altona mother is warning people walking their children to school to watch out for cars coming out of driveways.
Fleur Stoios said that during November children were encouraged to walk to school, but little attention was given to educating children and drivers about taking extra care on driveways.
“I walk my three children to school every day and I’m nervous about the dangers of cars colliding with pedestrians as they leave their driveways,” she said.
“I don’t want to blame the driver; personally, I have a blind driveway and know it’s very difficult leaving the driveway when you can’t see pedestrians on the footpath. It’s even more dangerous when kids fly up and down on scooters, skateboards and bikes.
“We encourage kids to cycle on the footpath instead of the road, but that often presents its own dangers.”
According to VicRoads data, 354 pedestrian injuries were reported statewide from 2007-12, nine of them fatal.
Westgate road policing adviser, Acting Senior Sergeant Fiona Waters, urged drivers and pedestrians to take extra care at this time of year. “With school holidays coming up and people out Christmas shopping, there are going to be a lot more people out and about, which increases the possibility of being involved in a pedestrian-related collision.
“Drivers and pedestrians just need to slow down and take a bit more notice of what is going on around them.”
