Families are being urged by the ambulance service to avoid taking road safety for granted ahead of the new school term.

With children heading back to school this week, the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) wants them to be reminded about how busy nearby roads can get, and what to do to prevent an accident.

In Essex, 297 RTCs involving children aged five-16 were reported to the service during the last school year.

Locality Director Rob Ashford said more can be done to reduce the number.

He said: "Our ambulance crews attend thousands of traffic collisions involving pedestrians a year, and many involve children.

"Thankfully serious accidents are on the decrease nationally thanks to better education about safety, and of course safer vehicles and roads. But we still attend too many so it's important children remember the basics as they get back into, or start a new, routine this week."

Advice for families includes: - asking your child what they know about being safe as a pedestrian or cyclist; this helps you pick up gaps in their knowledge you can address - practice the route they'd take if walking with you or alone and learn the dangers - thinking about where you drop off your child if they don't walk to school, and how you can make it safer for them - ensuring they know to cross the road at a place at a safe place