What age did you allow your kids to go out alone in daytime?

[Lmccrean]

At dinner time yesterday, dd (3 1/2) put on her coat, helmet and slippers and started to cycle towards the local park, without me knowing - only reason i know where she was, was cause wee kids across the rd told me when I came out to find her.

Im sooo cross! Ive just got over the flu yesterday and still have a really bad cold.. was in making lemsip and her dinner when she escaped (through 2 heavy fire doors) Although my neighbout saw her and said "oh, I thought you knew she was out on her own"

Anyway, when I was dragging her back up the road, wee kids came over and asked me if dd could stay out and play. Am I too over protective or is 3 old enough to go out with mates? I see others from her nursery school out, but I cant bear the thought of something happenning to her, and I wouldnt be there.

I wasn't meaning to imply that 9yo and 3yo were the same, just thinking back to my own childhood and know my age because of house move.
I would like local friends for 3yo to walk round to - to play at their house in their garden supervised by their parents, NOT on the street yet (and to recipriocate, am not trying to offload him!)

Maybe we live in very different areas then. I could never contemplate letting dd walk around to friends at 3.

mine are 3 and 5 and we would not /will not even let them play out inthe front garden on their own.
ie unsupervised.
I think it will be a long time coming as my dd3 age 3 will want to follow dd2(5) everywhere and I am not comfortable with a 3/4 yr old out of the gate iyswim but it is so hard explaining when they see otherkids knocking about