WHEN I had not long passed my driving test, I was horrified to hear a work colleague mention that he hadn't noticed something on his way from Middleton to Salford because he had been on "auto pilot".

I was still at the stage where I concentrated on every possible hazard and was conscious of every gear change and indication.

Thirty years later and I realise what auto pilot is. Gear changing instinctively and mirror signal manoeuvre without thinking about it.

But I'm still very conscious of children at the side of the road. I'm of the generation whose parents taught us that adults walked nearest the kerb, keeping children safe away from any traffic that might wander, and preventing youngsters from drifting over the edge of the pavement.

Being a mother and working on a newspaper makes you especially alert to the dangers to children of any kind of traffic.

So to hear that drivers haven't been stopping at a new zebra crossing in Bromley Cross is seriously concerning. How can any driver, whether on auto pilot or not, be unaware of a new zebra crossing on a main road?

The road is busy at the best of times, and demands any driver's absolute attention, especially when there are children walking to school in the middle of morning rush hour, and strolling home after 3.30pm. So this is a plea to drivers out there to wake up and spot the stripes!