A charity is launching a campaign calling for drivers to stick to 20 miles an hour in built up areas to keep walkers and cyclists safe.
School children are backing a campaign to get motorists to slow down to 20mph in high-risk areas.
The youngsters were on the roadside today helping police with speed checks.
You can see the full report from Derek Proud below.
(Warning: This report includes a photograph which some people may find disturbing.)
A survey conducted by the road safety charity Brake has found that four out of five children believe that drivers need to slow down around their homes and schools.
More than sixty percent of children now worry about being hurt by traffic when out and about.
The charity has also published statistics that found that every week in the North East, four adults and three children are mown down and killed or seriously hurt when on foot or bike.
In the last year pedestrian deaths and serious injuries have seen a significant rise for the first time in nearly twenty years.
It is hoped through measures like the GO 20 campaign, less people will be injured in road accidents and that more people will feel they can walk or cycle home.
Red Rose Primary School in Chester-le-Street is helping to launch a new campaign that is aiming to bring speed limits down to 20 miles per hour around homes, shops and schools.
It is hoped that the roll-out of the new GO 20 campaign will help reduce the amount of accidents and help to create a safer environment for children to walk and cycle home in.
The GO 20 campaign is being launched nation-wide and marks the start of Road Safety Week.
The North East is already seen to be ahead of the game, the campaign says, with Newcastle City Council's move to lower speed limits in residential areas having a noticeable drop in the number of crashes in many areas.
The road safety charity Brake is now calling for other areas to do the same thing.
– Nick Batty, campaign spokesperson for Brake"Everyone in the North East should be able to walk and cycle in their community without fear or threat: it's a basic right, and GO 20 is about defending that.
Anyone who drives can help bring this about: pledge to GO 20 in communities, even where the limit's still 30: you'll be helping to protect people around you, and you'll hardly notice the difference to your journey.
We're also calling on the government and more local authorities to recognise the need for 20mph, and the huge demand for safe walking and cycling, and GO 20."
A charity is launching a campaign calling for drivers to stick to 20 miles an hour in built up areas to keep walkers and cyclists safe. The project will be launched at a primary school in Chester-le-Street later today.