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road
safety news - week commencing 27 january
Minister
launches road safety strategy for Wales
The first Road Safety Strategy for Wales – which aims to
help reduce the total number of people killed or seriously injured
on Welsh roads by 40 per cent by 2010 – was launched by minister
for environment Sue Essex last week.
"Since the early 1980s the number of recorded road casualties
in Wales has continued to fall, but the overall number of collisions
and casualties is still far too high," said Ms Essex when
launching the strategy. "For far too long road safety has
been seen as someone else’s problem. But as road users we
are all responsible for our safety and that of others. Our behaviour
on the road means that we are all part of the road safety problem
and solution.
"This strategy is seeking to ensure that everyone, either
as individuals or organisations, plays a part in implementing
the actions needed to improve safety on our roads," the minister
added.
The strategy includes what are described by the minister as ‘new
and innovative measures’.
Electronic copies of the Road Safety Strategy for Wales document
and executive summary are available on the Welsh Assembly web
site at www.wales.gov.uk
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RoSPA
launches child seat website
RoSPA has launched a new website on the subject of child car seats,
which has been created with funding provided by the DfT.
The
new site, www.childcarseats.org.uk, provides a whole host of information
including:-
• advice on choosing, fitting and using child car restraints
• the legal requirements for using child restraints
• safety standards for child restraints
• a search facility to identify local sources of help and
information
• links to seat manufacturers, retailers and other organisations
that provide help or advice on this subject.
Anyone wanting further information about this new website should
contact RoSPA’s road safety advisor, Kevin Clinton, kclinton@rospa.com.
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GEM
warns of danger to ‘lollipop’ men and women
Britain’s school crossing patrol wardens – affectionately
known as ‘lollipop’ men and women – have been seen
on our streets morning and afternoon for 50 years now. But The Guild
of Experienced Motorists (GEM) says that far from celebrating its
golden jubilee, the service is in real crisis.
"In most parts of Britain it has become very difficult to recruit
wardens," says David Williams, chief executive
of GEM. "In many places long term vacancies mean that children
face danger on the journey to and from school, which does not help
the campaign to reduce the private car school run syndrome."
According to GEM, in one London borough the road safety officer
has admitted that nearly 20 per cent of the crossing locations are
unmanned despite intense advertising of the vacancies. And in Greater
London alone there are around 170 ‘lollipop’ vacancies
and the situation is similar throughout the UK.
"One reason why recruiting may have become difficult is road
rage," David Williams adds. "Some motorists refuse to
stop for patrols - they do not slow down and show courtesy to the
patrol person. Many believe they have no legal obligation to obey
but this is not the case and we are seeing more prosecutions as
drivers refuse to heed the command to stop."
Nationally new guidelines are being produced to advise local authorities
how best to protect their crossing patrol wardens.
GEM is using its magazine, Good Motoring, to ask some of its 60,000
members to consider becoming lollipop people. |
RoadSafe
to use anniversary to reinforce seat belts message
The anniversary of the introduction of legislation making the wearing
of
seat belts mandatory for front seat passengers and drivers falls
on 31
January, and RoadSafe intends to use the day to highlight the importance
of wearing belts and is seeking the support of road safety professionals.
RoadSafe will be joining the Society of Motor Manufacturers and
Traders
(SMMT) in a briefing for journalists and road safety professionals
to
highlight the vital importance of in-car safety systems. The briefing
will
take place at Forbes House, London, and will be hosted by RoadSafe
chairman, Steven Norris and Christopher Macgowan,
chief executive, SMMT. There will be more than 20 vehicles and displays
demonstrating safety technology on vehicles old and new, supported
by representatives from manufacturers to answer questions.
RoadSafe also intends to highlight seat belt campaigns being run
at this time and is asking road safety teams to supply details of
any such campaigns and/or publicity. Please forward details to Roadsafe
at: info@roadsafe.com. |
Car
usage falls in Central London
The number of people travelling into central London by car during
the morning peak fell by almost 11 per cent between 2000 and 2001,
according to figures released by Transport for London (Local Transport
Today, 23 January).
In 2001 122,000 people used private cars to reach the centre of
the capital during the morning peak (7am to 10am). This was a fall
of 15,000 on the previous year and 33,000 since 1991.
Numbers using public transport in the morning peak rose by 6,000
over the 12-month period, but a combination of all modes indicates
an overall fall of morning peak traffic by one per cent from 1.108m
to 1.094m. Public transport’s share of all trips made in the
capital increased by 0.3 per cent to 28.8 per cent on the previous
year.
Figures relating to bus usage continue to show an upward trend.
Daily patronage in 2001 was up by six per cent to over 3.9m trips
per day – an increase of 16 per cent on 1996. Evening bus travel
had an even steeper rate of increase, up by nine per cent. |
ACPO
head ‘pleased’ with seasonal injury figures
Results for the 2002-2003 ACPO Christmas and New Year drink drive
campaign show a 20 per cent reduction in injury collisions over
the same period last year - and 22 per cent less than in 1997.
There were 5,242 injury collisions reported to police during the
15 days of the campaign. Police in England & Wales administered
12,402 breath tests following collisions during the campaign and
1080 of these were positive, an 8.71 per cent hit rate. This percentage
of drivers tested positive after collisions have remained relatively
steady since 1997 when the current method of recording data began.
Commenting on the figures, Richard Brunstrom, head
of ACPO Road Policing and Chief Constable of North Wales Police,
said he was ‘extremely pleased’ with the figures.
More @ http://www.acpo.police.uk/news |
Gaelic
road signs given the thumbs up
Highland Council has welcomed the Scottish Executive’s approval
of new bilingual road signs in Gaelic communities (Surveyor, 23
January).
Scottish deputy transport minister Lewis Macdonald has
announced that existing road signs will be replaced with bilingual
ones on nine trunk roads routes passing through areas where Gaelic
is spoken. Scotland’s first Gaelic/English signs were approved
by the executive in spring 2001 on two routes. It has also empowered
Highland Council to erect bilingual signs as its discretion.
Highland Council will introduce bilingual signs when existing signs
require replacement through age or damage, after consulting local
communities. |
Cycle
training survey launched
The English Regions Cycling Development Team is carrying out a survey
of local cycle training schemes (Local Transport Today, 23 January).
All local authorities will be asked about the training available,
the number of participants, the cost of schemes and the qualifications
of trainers. For details email ken.spence@aeat.co.uk |
BMF
accuses TfL of scaremongering
The British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) has accused Transport
for London (TfL) of a scare campaign in the face of the increased
use of motorcycles.
The BMF is concerned that the shock tactics applied in a current
TfL cinema advertising campaign are designed more to deter people
from taking up PTWs (powered two wheelers) because they are exempt
from congestion charges than to reduce accidents.
The advertising campaign, costing a reputed £1.2m, uses live
actors within the audience to dramatise the report of a crash involving
a motorcycle and then shows a short film of a car/motorcycle collision.
'We are deeply concerned that personalities within TfL's road safety
division are using the introduction of congestion charging to pursue
an anti motorcycling agenda" said the BMF's assistant government
relations executive, Richard Olliffe.
More @ : http://www.bmf.co.uk
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Transport
Direct portal progressing
The DfT has awarded SchlumbergerSema the contract to design, build
and operate the Transport Direct travel information portal. Transport
Direct will be available by the end of the year and will offer users
real-time travel information, according to the DfT.
More @ http://www.dft.gov.uk |
PACTS
conference will examine impact of fatigue
A forthcoming PACTS conference will look at
the scale of fatigue related road crashes and see what lessons can
be learnt from approaches taken in other transport modes.
The conference will investigate the general acceptance that 95 per
cent of accidents are caused by human error, in a bid to see what
counter-measures might be used to reduce the scale of death and
injury. For example, fatigue may well be a far greater contributor
to road death than previously thought.
Places are still available to attend the all-day conference, 'Nodding
Off: Fatigue and Transport Accidents', on Tuesday 4th February 2003,
in London W1. Contact Sally Verkaik to book a place
on 020 7922 8112 or sally.verkaik@pacts.org.uk. |
More
funds for Safe Routes to School
Sustrans has received a £261,000 grant
from the Esmèe Fairbairn foundation to help develop its School
Champions for Safer Routes to School programme (Local Transport
Today, 23 January). The grant will be used to fund a project officer
and to provide training of ‘champions’. |
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