What Should You Know About Back To School Road Accidents?
Back To School Road Accidents can become a particular concern in September as children and parents return to their usual school routines. For a short period each morning and afternoon, cars, children, cyclists, pedestrians, buses and parents are all trying to use the same space, often while under time pressure.
The school run creates a unique and concentrated road environment. Vehicles may be stopping, starting, parking or turning, while children cross roads, cyclists move through traffic and buses pick up or drop off passengers. Even when traffic is moving slowly, there can be several potential hazards developing at the same time.
September can bring additional challenges. Parents may be driving to a new school, children may be walking an unfamiliar route, and older children may be travelling independently for the first time. These new routines can make familiar road safety risks more difficult to anticipate.
In this article, we look at why Back To School Road Accidents can happen, the most common school run hazards, the effect of new September routines and what happens if a child is injured in a road accident.
Quick Links:
- Why Do Back To School Road Accidents Increase During the School Run?
- The Most Common School Run Road Hazards
- The September Effect: New Routines and Unfamiliar Journeys
- What Happens If a Child Is Injured in a School Run Road Accident?
- Could Someone Else Have Contributed to the Accident?
- Making a Personal Injury Claim on Behalf of a Child
- Why Choose Stonehewer Moss?
If your child has been injured in a road accident and you would like to understand your options, call 01606 872200 or arrange a free 30-minute consultation with Stonehewer Moss Solicitors.
Why Do Back To School Road Accidents Increase During the School Run?
The school run creates a unique and concentrated road environment. For a short period twice a day, cars, children, cyclists, pedestrians, buses and parents are all trying to use the same space, often at the same time.
This concentration of activity is one reason Back To School Road Accidents can happen. It is not simply a case of roads being busy. The combination of congestion, time pressure and unpredictable pedestrian movement can make the roads around schools particularly challenging.
Parents may be trying to get children to school on time before continuing to work or other commitments, while children may be crossing roads or moving between vehicles. At the same time, drivers are dealing with slow-moving traffic and frequent stops and starts.
Even when vehicles are travelling at relatively low speeds, drivers may have several things demanding their attention at once. With so much activity taking place within a short window, everyone using the road needs to be particularly aware of what is happening around them.
The Most Common School Run Road Hazards
Back To School Road Accidents can involve a wide range of hazards, not just children crossing the road. Parents may be walking with or carrying younger children, while other children may be getting out of cars on the road side. Cyclists can be filtering through slow-moving traffic, buses may be stopping and starting, and vehicles may be reversing into or out of parking spaces.
Parked Vehicles and Blind Spots
Parked vehicles can create blind spots for both drivers and children. A child crossing between parked cars may not be visible to an approaching driver until they step into the road. At the same time, the vehicles can make it harder for the child to see approaching traffic.
The Highway Code advises pedestrians to avoid crossing between parked vehicles where possible. Where this cannot be avoided, pedestrians should stop where they can see approaching traffic and be seen by drivers.
Stopping, Starting and Reversing
Even when school run traffic is moving slowly, there can still be significant risks. Cars may be stopping to let children out, pulling away again, turning or reversing, while cyclists and pedestrians move around them.
Drivers therefore need to remain aware of activity on all sides of their vehicle. With several of these hazards often occurring at the same time, roads around schools can quickly become difficult to navigate safely, even when traffic speeds are relatively low.
The September Effect: New Routines and Unfamiliar Journeys
September can bring additional challenges to the school run as families adjust to new routines. Parents may be driving to a new school for the first time, while children could be walking or cycling along an unfamiliar route.
For older children, the start of a new academic year may also be the first time they travel to school independently. They may be crossing unfamiliar roads, using new bus routes or navigating busy junctions without a parent alongside them.
Unfamiliarity can affect drivers too. A parent concentrating on finding the correct entrance, drop-off point or parking area may also be dealing with heavy traffic and large numbers of pedestrians around the school. These unfamiliar journeys can add to the circumstances in which Back To School Road Accidents occur during the first few weeks of the academic year.
The Highway Code advises drivers to drive slowly and be particularly aware of young cyclists and pedestrians near schools, recognising that children are among the road users most at risk.
As new routines become familiar, journeys may become easier to anticipate. During the first few weeks of September, however, taking extra care and allowing more time for the school run can help drivers, parents and children adjust safely to their new journeys.
What Happens If a Child Is Injured in a School Run Road Accident?
If a child is injured in a road accident during the school run, their immediate health and safety should always come first. Depending on the circumstances and severity of their injuries, this may involve seeking medical attention and reporting the accident to the police.
Once the immediate situation has been dealt with, the circumstances surrounding the accident may become important. When investigating Back To School Road Accidents, details such as the exact location, road layout, position of parked vehicles and whether a school crossing patrol was present could all help to establish how the accident happened.
Photographs of the location may also be useful, particularly where parked vehicles, restricted visibility, road markings or other features of the area could have played a part.
Accidents involving children can require particularly careful investigation. It may be necessary to consider the actions of those involved as well as the wider road environment before determining how the accident occurred and whether anyone may have been legally responsible.
Keeping a record of what happened and obtaining legal advice can help parents understand the options available if their child has been injured in an accident that may have been caused by someone else’s negligence.
Looking Beyond the Driver: Could Someone Else Have Contributed to the Accident?
When investigating Back To School Road Accidents, the actions of the driver may not be the only factor that needs to be considered. In some cases, the wider road environment could also have contributed to how an accident happened.
For example, visibility could have been affected by overgrown vegetation, or there may have been concerns about the condition or layout of the road. Missing or obscured signs and problems with pedestrian crossings could also be relevant depending on the circumstances.
Highway authorities have legal responsibilities relating to the highways they are responsible for. For example, the Highways Act 1980 places a duty on highway authorities to maintain highways maintainable at public expense. It also contains provisions relating to vegetation that obstructs or interferes with drivers’ views.
However, the presence of a road defect, visibility problem or other issue does not automatically mean that another party is legally responsible for an accident. Each case needs to be considered on its individual facts.
Road accidents can sometimes involve more than one contributing factor, which is why establishing exactly what happened and considering the surrounding road environment can be an important part of investigating a potential personal injury claim.
Making a Personal Injury Claim on Behalf of a Child
If a child is injured in a School Run Road Accident because of someone else’s negligence, it may be possible to make a personal injury claim on their behalf. This could include circumstances where a child is injured while walking or crossing the road. You can find out more about how we handle pedestrian accident claims and the support available.
As a child is under 18, an adult will usually need to conduct the legal proceedings for them as a litigation friend.
A litigation friend is often a parent, although another suitable adult can take on the role. They must be able to conduct the proceedings fairly and competently, have no interests that conflict with the child’s and make decisions with the child’s interests in mind.
What Happens to a Child’s Compensation?
Compensation settlements involving children are handled differently from claims involving adults. Any settlement or compromise of a child’s claim must be approved by the court. This helps ensure that the amount agreed is appropriate and protects the child’s interests.
The court will also give directions about how the compensation should be managed. Depending on the circumstances, the money may be paid into court and invested or dealt with in another way directed by the court. Where compensation remains invested in court, it is paid to the child when they reach 18.
These additional safeguards are an important part of personal injury claims involving children and help ensure that both the claim and any compensation awarded are handled with the child’s interests in mind.
Why Choose Stonehewer Moss?
If your child has been injured in a School Run Road Accident, understanding what to do next can feel daunting. At Stonehewer Moss Solicitors, our experienced personal injury solicitors handle a wide range of road traffic accident claims. We can assess what happened, explain whether there may be grounds for a claim and guide you through the process of making a claim on behalf of your child.
We provide friendly, personal support throughout your case, with instant access to a solicitor who can answer your questions and keep you informed. Stonehewer Moss is an APIL-accredited firm, reflecting our specialist expertise in personal injury law.
Where appropriate, we can handle personal injury claims on a No Win, No Fee basis, helping you pursue a claim without paying legal costs upfront.
If you would like to discuss your child’s accident, call 01606 872200, arrange a free 30-minute consultation or start your claim online today.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your child is injured because of someone else’s negligence, it may be possible to make a personal injury claim on their behalf. Back To School Road Accidents can happen in many different circumstances, so the accident will need to be investigated to establish what happened and whether another person or organisation may have been legally responsible.
A child will usually need a litigation friend to conduct court proceedings on their behalf. This is often a parent, although another suitable adult may be able to take on the role. This also applies to claims arising from Back To School Road Accidents where the injured child is under 18. A litigation friend must be able to conduct the proceedings fairly and competently and have no interest that conflicts with the child’s interests.
In England and Wales, the usual three-year limitation period for a personal injury claim does not generally begin to run while the injured person is a child. This means they will normally have until their 21st birthday to start court proceedings if a claim has not already been brought on their behalf. However, it is usually advisable to seek legal advice much sooner while evidence relating to the accident is easier to obtain.
When investigating Back To School Road Accidents, useful evidence could include photographs of the location, witness details, medical evidence and information about the road layout. The position of parked vehicles, visibility, road signs, crossings and other features of the area may also be relevant when establishing how the accident happened.
Any settlement of a child’s personal injury claim must be approved by the court. The court will also give directions about how the compensation should be managed. This may include paying the money into court and investing it for the child. Where money remains invested in court, it must be paid to the child when they reach 18.
