'Half of children' walk to school

The Office for National Statistics says 48% of children walked to school in 2008, down from 62% in 1991.

Over the same period, the proportion of children going to school by car rose by from 27% to 43%, statistics published in a report on social trends show.

At the same time, the average journey to primary school increased from 1.3 miles to 1.6 miles.

The figures also revealed that 86% of children aged seven to 10 were usually accompanied to school by an adult on their journey to school.

This was an increase from 78% on 2002, the report said.

The main reasons parents gave for accompanying their children to school were the danger of traffic (58%) and fear of assault or molestation (29%).

'Societal change'

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: "Today's figures show that car usage for under-10s has remained steady over the last decade, while the fall in children walking to school has slowed.

"The latest annual school census and the National Travel Survey show car usage is starting to fall and walking to school beginning to rise again - but we know there is more to do.

"Local authorities now have a duty to make it as easier as possible for all children to walk or cycle to school, or use public transport - backed by the £140m Travelling to School Initiative."

The spokesman said it would take time to cut the use of the car for the school run.

"We're talking about a massive societal change in how families live their lives, not just to travel to school - that's not going to happen overnight," he added.