To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the merits of roadside pedestrian training schemes for children. (175813)

We funded the £9 million Kerbcraft child pedestrian training research project in 64 English local authorities. The project provided training for five to seven-year-olds in three important road-crossing skills. The project was fully evaluated; we have disseminated interim evaluation results which show that trained children made statistically significant improvements to key behaviours, compared to untrained children. We will disseminate best practice to all local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will extend roadside pedestrian training schemes for children on a national basis. (175814)

Local authority road safety officers (RSOs) have the responsibility of supporting and co-ordinating road safety education, training and publicity; it is for them to consider how best to meet their local needs.

DfT will disseminate good practice in roadside child pedestrian training schemes to local authorities and educators, based on, but not exclusive to, the Kerbcraft child pedestrian training scheme as it was piloted and evaluated in England and Scotland between 2001 and 2007.