IN an age when it is so easy to ferry children around in the family car, it is easy to understand how teaching them to cross the road properly can take a back seat.

But the fact that an East Lancashire mayor today accused parents of not doing enough to teach their children the basics which could save their lives should be a wake-up call to everyone.

Coun Tony Humphrys's outburst came as new figures show that the number of children being injured on his borough's roads is rising again, despite a raft of Government-funded education campaigns.

The Blackburn with Darwen mayor hit out after he went shopping and saw parents pulling their children across the road in between moving cars rather than using a pedestrian crossing just yards away.

There was a time when it was essential to make sure our children knew how to cross the road because we left them unattended for longer.

No matter that we didn't obey the golden rules - we were adults who could look after ourselves.

But now, with parents concerned at reports of abductions keeping their children closer than ever, it is easy to forget.

And a child that sees its parents ducking between parked cars and running along the road will copy what it sees.

The only way to reduce accident figures is for parents to lead by example.