Car culture making our children obese - Brake

8.46.15pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 2nd Aug 2005

Responding to Department for Transport figures, which reveal a fall of 11% in the last decade in the number of primary school children who walk to school, the Liberal Democrats today released new analysis of Government travel figures, which show:

· A 11% increase in the proportion of primary school children driven to school.

· Nearly 25% of cars on urban roads during the morning rush hour were driven by parents taking their children to school.

· The number of children under the age of ten considered to be overweight rose from 22.7% in 1995 to 27.7% in 2003.

Commenting, Tom Brake MP said:

"The Government has failed to tackle the rising numbers of children being driving to school. As well as causing congestion and pollution on our roads it contributes to the general deterioration in the health of young children.

"Many schools have developed initiatives that encourage parents to use safe alternatives to driving.

"In my own constituency Dorchester Primary School was named Sustainable School of the Year after developing initiatives that saw an increase of 17% in the number of pupils walking to school."