Father of boy killed on road backs speed campaign

William Brown Snr opened a dessert parlour in June

The father of a seven-year-old boy who died in an accident in Kent has backed a national campaign calling for measures to reduce speed on roads near schools.

About 80,000 children from more than 720 schools across the UK will later be taking part in a 'Kids Walk', which has been organised by road safety charity Brake.

The campaign comes after figures obtained by Brake reveal more than 500 children aged between four and 11 were injured or killed on roads in Kent, Surrey and Sussex in 2022.

William Brown Snr, whose son William Brown died in Folkestone in December, said: "If I could go back now, I would have said to him a million times, ‘son, you can’t go in that road. You can’t go in any roads."

William Brown died after being struck by a vehicle on the A259 Sandgate Esplanade.

Stewart Powell, 49, from Dunstall Gardens, St Mary's Bay, pleaded guilty to failing to stop in May.

There was no evidence he was speeding or at fault, and he was not charged with a driving offence.

William died in December

The schoolchildren taking part in Brake's initiative will complete a short, supervised walk around their schools and communities.

They are aiming to raise awareness of what could make roads safer - including slower traffic, better footpaths, better cycle paths, and safe places to cross.

Lucy Straker, campaigns manager at Brake, said: “Sadly, every day, more than 16 primary schoolchildren are harmed on our roads [nationally]."

'Stop, look, listen!'

Mr Brown agreed that speed should be reduced outside schools, but understood that some people could see this as an "inconvenience".

Since his son's death, he has sought to raise awareness about the importance of road safety.

Mr Brown opened a dessert parlour in memory of his son, and to spread the message of "stop, look, and listen" to children.

He said he hoped that when parents visited his parlour, they would tell their children about his son and warn them about the dangers involved with crossing roads.