Most parents admit to taking dangerous risks on the roads in front of their children.

Government-commissioned research has prompted the Department for Transport to launch a series of road safety workshops for parents. The survey found that 54 per cent of parents admitted taking “calculated risks”, like talking on mobile phones as they crossed the road, or crossing against the lights.

Jim Fitzpatrick, road safety minister, said: “Simply telling our children about how to use our roads safely is not enough - parents must practise what they preach or their sons and daughters will slip into these dangerous habits.”

There is no statutory requirement for primary schools to have a road safety strategy.

Photograph: Department of Transport.