Conclusion
As a result of the evidence gathered and analysed against all UNCRC requirements, what is the potential overall impact of this proposal on children’s rights?
Positive.
If you have identified a positive impact on children’s rights, please describe below how the proposal will protect, respect, and fulfil children’s rights in Scotland.
Article 6 Life, survival and development
Article 6 states that we should ‘ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child’. Each year, thousands of deaths are attributed to pollution, physical activity and road traffic collisions. Evidence in response to question 5 could therefore be used to argue that car use has a negative effect on the probability of survival of children. By reducing the use of cars in Scotland, there is therefore an increase in the probability of survival for children in Scotland. When including consideration of development, the evidence further details the correlation between pollution and developmental and physical disorders. The overall contribution of the policy to Article 6 is therefore positive.
Article 24 Health and health services
Sections 2(a) (requiring state actors to take steps to ‘diminish infant and child mortality') and (c) (indicating states actors should be 'taking into consideration the dangers and risks of environmental pollution') of Article 24 are of particular relevance to this policy. As set out when discussing implications for Article 6, evidence discussed in response to question 5 indicates that the policy will have positive implications for the health of children in Scotland.
Article 31 Leisure, play and culture
Car use contributes to community severance, which is the negative impact that transport infrastructure and traffic has on the wellbeing of the people who need to make trips using that infrastructure. Traffic and parked vehicles can act as a barrier to community interaction and have a negative impact on the quality of public spaces and the wellbeing of people using them. If there is less traffic or parked vehicles, people are more likely to walk, wheel or cycle in their local areas, which could have positive impacts on the wellbeing of individuals and the community in general.
By reducing car use, the intention is that the effects of community severance will also be reduced, leading to improved ‘provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity’ as set out in Article 31.
If a negative impact has been identified please describe below. Is there a risk this could potentially amount to an incompatibility?
N/A.
As a result of the evidence gathered and analysed against all wellbeing indicators, will the proposal contribute to the wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland?
Yes, the proposal contributes positively to the ‘Safe’, ‘Healthy’, and ‘Active’ indicators.
If yes, please provide and explanation below
Evidence set out in response to previous responses demonstrates the impact that car use can have on safety as a result of road traffic collisions, health through cars contributing to pollution and physical inactivity, and to being active through encouraging increased use of active travel modes such as walking, wheeling, and cycling.
How will you communicate to children and young people the impact that the proposal will have on their rights?
No child friendly or accessible versions of the CRWIA are planned however, this CRWIA will be published online so those wishing to access it should be able to. Additionally, in so far as possible, care has been taken to write the CRWIA in accessible language so children and young people who may be reading it can understand its content and the potential impact on their rights. We have engaged with young people throughout the consultation and revision process as detailed earlier in this document. For the wider policy, communications are issued through Scottish Government marketing campaigns, which are shown on television, social media, and radio. This messaging should therefore reach young people, as well as other demographic groups. Specific policy interventions as set out in the route map will be accompanied by their own communications and impact assessments.