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Week
Commencing 6 May 2002
Minister
urges motorists to take care around horses
Motorists
are being urged to take care around horses on the roads as part
of a new campaign announced last week by road safety minister,
David Jamieson. A new TV filler film and supporting leaflet
and poster were launched at the Badminton Horse Trials.
On average, the British Horse Society believes that there are over
3000 incidents a year involving horses. The latest DTLR figures
show that for the year 2000 there were 147 horse rider casualties
and two fatalities.
"Horse riders are particularly vulnerable on the road and it
is important that anyone who drives should be considerate to their
needs," said Mr Jamieson. "Riders have as much right to
use the roads as anyone else and should be able to enjoy riding
without fear of dangerous behaviour by other road users.
"Similarly, horse riders have a duty of care to themselves,
their horse and other road users," Mr Jamieson continued. "Riders
should never use the roads without first taking the British Horse
Society’s road proficiency test. They should also make sure
they wear fluorescent reflective clothing so they are more visible
to motorists."
Copies of the TV filler are available from the DTLR press office
on 0207 944 4654.
More @ http://www.press.dtlr.gov.uk
Poor children more vulnerable on the roads, according
to report
The Government
is to introduce new speed restrictions in deprived urban areas, according
to a report in The Times last week. This initiative is as a result
of research showing that children living in these areas are five times
more likely to be hit by a car than those living in affluent areas.
The Social Exclusion Unit report points to a link between poverty
and a child pedestrian’s chances of being killed on the roads.
Children in deprived neighbourhoods often do not have a garden in
which to play and a lower proportion tend to be driven to school by
their parents. The unit’s report indicates that the government
has up to now been concentrating its efforts on the wrong remedy –
the provision of more road safety education for poor children.
The article in The Times went on to say that drivers will be forced
to slow down by road humps, chicanes and other forms of traffic calming
- with the limit reduced to 20mph on roads around council estates
and other areas with a high proportion of low income families.
The Times, 30 April
New
THINK! campaign launched to improve motorcycling safety
Road
safety minister David Jamieson has launched a new
publicity campaign aimed at improving the safety of motorcyclists.
The £1.5m campaign encourages motorcyclists to ride so that
they can be seen and attempts to heighten other drivers’ awareness
of motorbikes.
In 2000, 605 motorcyclists were killed and 27, 607 were injured
– an increase of 11 per cent and 8 per cent respectively on
the 1999 figures.
The campaign, which is part of the THINK! road safety advertising,
will feature a TV advert supported by radio advertising, posters
and pamphlets.
"Motorcycling is becoming more popular but too many people
are being killed and injured," said the minister at the launch
of the campaign. "More and more people are using motorcycles
and scooters and I hope this campaign will highlight the importance
of being visible and vigilant.
"The advertisement shows how easy it is for a driver to be
unaware of a motorcyclist. We have a dual message - drivers need
to look out for bikes and motorcyclists need to ride carefully and
ensure that they can be seen."
More @ http://www.think.dtlr.gov.uk/motorcycles
Register
introduced for company car driving instructors
The
Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has introduced a register of driving
instructors who specialise in training company car and small van drivers.
Some company car drivers have attracted criticism in the past for
being inconsiderate and this category is 30-50 per cent more likely
to be involved in accidents than other drivers. It is estimated that
between 50,000 and 77,000 fleet drivers are injured in crashes each
year while at work.
The Government wants to set minimum training standards for these drivers,
and this new scheme could also lead to lower insurance premiums for
businesses requiring employees to drive cars or small vans as part
of their work.
The register was announced in the government's road safety strategy
‘Tomorrow's Roads - Safer For Everyone’, which was published
in 2000 and came into effect on 22 April 2002.
Only approved driving instructors will be accepted onto the new register
upon completion of additional accredited training or once they have
passed a new DSA exam, which will be introduced in July 2002.
"We want to raise the profile of training on offer to fleet drivers
and their employers," said transport minister David Jamieson.
"The scheme will establish an industry standard and make it easier
for managers to get their drivers involved in further training."
More @ http://www.dsa.gov.uk/l
Cameras
given makeover, according to The Independent
An
article in The Independent last week claimed that ‘Britain’s
growing army of roadside speed cameras is being rebranded as safety
cameras in a bid to sell their virtues to a sceptical public’.
The report goes on to claim that cameras have had a bad press and
have been largely unpopular among motorists since their introduction
in the 1990s and that the DTLR is now trying to change that by linking
them with safety and not speed.
The report, while largely unfavourable towards cameras, does conclude
that the change in name comes ‘after new figures showing that
cameras have cut dramatically the number of accidents’.
The Independent, 29 April
New
education guidance leaflet published
A new
road safety education guidance leaflet has been published by the Curriculum
Division at the Department of Education and Skills. A copy can be
obtained from the department’s website at the following address:
http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/Safety_Education_Guidance_Leaflet
DTLR
announces new targets to improve bus services
Transport
minister John Spellar has announced a series of performance
targets to improve services for bus users. The targets have been
agreed with the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), which
represents the vast majority of bus operators in the UK.
The CPT has committed its members to targets for improving reliability,
reducing the average age of the bus fleet, increasing accessibility,
and improving passenger information at bus stops.
These targets will underpin the Government’s overall target
to increase bus patronage nationally by 10 per cent, which was set
out in the Ten Year Plan for Transport.
"We want to see more reliable and better quality bus services
that are accessible to everyone and we have set a target to increase
bus usage by 10 per cent by 2010," John Spellar said. "If
people are going to travel by bus they need to know the basics -
where the bus goes to and what time it goes. Our surveys consistently
show that the aspect of bus travel with which users are least satisfied
is information at bus stops. This has to improve, and that’s
why we’ve included a new target to achieve clear year-on-year
improvement."
More @ http://www.press.dtlr.gov.uk
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