Seasonal reminder from Lincolnshire partnership

The Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership has issued a hard-hitting press release emphasising the tragedy that death on the road brings – especially at Christmas.

Here is an extract from the release:-

"80 people have lost their lives on Lincolnshire’s roads this year.
80 families are learning to live without someone they love simply because they chose to drive to work, or walk to school, or ride to the coast.

And while statistics are often banded about without much consideration for what they refer to, two things should be given extra thought:-

• Every statistic is someone’s life. It represents the pain that friends and families suffer and the loss a community feels

• History suggests that MORE people will die this year on Lincolnshire’s roads than last year.

This means that at least nine more people COULD be dead before Christmas.

We, as road users, can change and prevent this from occurring.The Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership offers this potent warning and a personal appeal.

You can no longer say – ‘it won’t happen to me’ - there is a good chance that it will.

You can no longer say - ‘I’m OK, I’m a good driver’ - because the majority of us are not good drivers, we are lucky drivers.

Please be aware that it could be you staring at your car, your pride and joy, with the front end crushed.

Please be aware that it could be you looking at your best friend bleeding in the passenger seat.

Please be aware that it could be you giving the emotional eulogy at your partner's funeral.

And if you don’t believe that it could be you, simply ask 80 sets of relatives what they thought at the start of the year."

The release is accompanied by a number of statements from representatives of the police, fire and rescue service, ambulance service, Lincolnshire NHS, the coroner’s office, family and friends of the bereaved. These statements give an indication of the depth of feeling this subject evokes in everyone involved.