Sydney City Council is pushing for lower speed limits near daycare centers

Land transport accidents are the leading cause of death in children aged 1 to 14, according to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Scully’s call for lower speed limits near daycare centers is supported by Sahand Mahmoodian, whose son Essy attends SDN Glebe daycare two days a week.

Mahmoodian said the road where the daycare is located lacked speed bumps and signs warning drivers to watch out for children and slow down.

“I would like to see a commitment to reduce the speed limit on roads in densely populated residential areas, particularly those with day care centers and schools, to 30 km/h,” Mahmoodian said.

“This will pose a minor inconvenience to people when driving, but will ensure their safety and that of their family when walking on our roads.”

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Michelle McLaughlin founded the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation after her four-year-old son Tom died in a traffic accident in 2014.

McLaughlin also supports lower speed limits near day care centers as a measure to improve road safety for children.

“Children are very vulnerable road users, especially those under the age of 10,” she said.

Road safety advocates say lower speed limits save lives, but they tend to frustrate motorists as the government rakes in hundreds of millions of dollars in fines for speeding.

NSW Government data shows there is a 10 per cent risk of a pedestrian being killed if struck by a car traveling at 30mph. This risk increases to 40 percent at 40 km/h and 90 percent at 50 km/h.

Metropolitan Roads Minister Natalie Ward said there were no plans to further reduce speed limits in central Sydney.

“We will continue to work with all councils and implement any measures that increase safety in areas frequented by children,” she said.

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