Every day in Belgium, an average of 13 children are involved in an accident on the way to school, writes Vias. This risk increases by 66% for adolescents aged 12 and 16, according to the institute.
At the age of 12, most teenagers start going to school alone, without having acquired all the reflexes to deal with a risky situation. At 16, the young person turns in some cases to other means of transport, in particular the scooter, advances the institute.
The risk of being involved in an accident on the way to or returning from school is almost 50% higher for a young boy than for a young girl, Vias reveals again. All age groups combined, the risk is highest for 16-year-old boys: 299 victims per 100,000 inhabitants.
Wednesday around noon is the most dangerous time of the week given that all the children leave school around the same time, notes Vias.
The study also reveals regional disparities in the circumstances of these accidents. In Brussels, it is above all young pedestrians who are victims of an accident on the way to school: 60%. In Wallonia, 36% of 3-18 year olds who are victims of an accident are as passengers in a vehicle and in Flanders, it is mainly as cyclists: 51%. (