Schoolgirl hit twice by cars on School Road, Quedgeley

“I believe that the child hit has problems in life”

“"I am walking to and from the school every day with Gabrielle now. I know she should be able to do this by herself but I just don't trust the cars."

Exactly how does walking your child to school prevent cars causing an accident? Be honest, the fact is you don't trust your child which, given that it seems she has walked into the road when cars were coming at least twice, seems an eminently sensible attitude to take.

I have had the misfortune to have to drive down this road when the school turned out and it is a nightmare. How I have managed to avoid hitting the kids, particularly the ones on bikes, is beyond me.”

“Why is it that "mothers" think they have a divine right to step out in front of traffic without making sure it is safe to do so?
I always stop at Zebra crossings but the "mothers" often do not look at me to make sure!
I am surprised there are not more accidents like this as the "mothers" and kids do not seem to know there responsibilities to ensure their own safety i.e. common sense!”

“In truth, does Rachael not trust cars or her daughter?

supernova1 - The drivers were not prosecuted because it wasn't their fault. If it wasn't the drivers' fault, who else can be to blame. Perhaps Rachael Gardner can help answer that one?”

“School Lane is not a 'fast' road. I'm wondering on the exact circumstances of these collisions.
I would,however,point out the one hazard that I slow right down for.
Coming from the canal end of the lane and close to the school there are bushes,on the right, that obscure any view of the pathway from the houses on the right.
Having to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road due to the chicane here frightens me every time,as I have thoughts of some kid rushing out,as they sometimes do,without paying attention to their own safety.
Maybe some large signs along the lane,warning the motorists and the schoolkids to be more aware of each other,would do the trick.”

“Gabrielle, 14, was being walked to school with her mother when the accident happened.
Rachael said: "I am walking to and from the school every day with Gabrielle now. I know she should be able to do this by herself but I just don't trust the cars."
Sorry, but this is just outrageous.
As spindles12 has eloquently put it, all we need now is the re-introduction of the man with the red flag!
I remember when she was hit before, one of the girls with her said she just ran out.
Also, as prosecuters are so very keen to target motorists, why wasn't the driver prosecuted in either case, and the paramedic, who will probably have had an advanced driving certificate.
I'm all for safety of children, but in a society where we insist they wear hi-vis clothing on school trips, are not allowed conkers etc, etc, we are lulling them into a false sense of security, where there is no danger. Like it's a video game, where someone cartwheels a car twelve times, yet seconds later it's back on four wheels, without a scratch.
Stop mollycoddling our children, and at fourteen, she should be ushering other children to school, instead of having her own hand held.”

“School Lane is, or rather was, a long straight road. It is now filled with various lumps of tarmac either to make cars slow down or to make the road only wide enough for one car to pass through, thereby slowing cars down in one way or another. There are double yellow lines, Slow signs and zig-zags so what other safety measures could be put in place to avoid any more accidents? May I suggest that every car that travels along that road is accompanied by a man with a red flag walking, thereby warning pedestrians that there is a car on the road or maybe just ban cars from using it at all? Talk about belts and braces, how many more safety improvements must there be to this road to stop it being "dangerous"?

The main problem seems to be the attitude of the pupils who walk to and from school. They amble along chatting or messing about, they don't look properly before they cross the road, those on bikes think it's normal to just ride along the pavement then cross the road without a backwards or forwards glance. I've seen all this and more so I know it goes on. Just looking at several shots of School Lane on Google maps will show the total disregard for traffic by some of the pupils. One shot shows a pupil ambling across the road in front of the approaching Google car!

It would be interesting to know the circumstances of this latest "accident" because I just cannot see how anyone could be hit by a car that's driving along School Lane unless they weren't fully aware of what cars, if any, were in the vicinity.

The mother of Gabrielle Gardner is calling for action but anyone reading the reports of her daughter's two accidents may get an idea of how these sort of things happen. To give just one quote from one accident where the girl was hit on a zebra crossing: "Katie saw the car coming and managed to pull Gabrielle back, so she was only clipped by the vehicle rather than struck full on" . This appears to show that the girls were near the crossing and that Gabrielle just stepped onto the crossing before making sure the car was actually going to stop. Who in their right mind steps onto one without making sure the cars are actually stopped?”

“Maybe a Zebra crossing or Lollipop lady is needed in addition to the traffic calming already in place, plus some urgent road safety training for the pupils!”

“Are youngsters taught how to cross roads safely? Are there safe pedestrian crossings on this road? There is no mention how the accidents happened.”

“Same girl, hit twice, on the same road? She should be more careful.”