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ROAD
SAFETY NEWS - WEEK COMMENCING 15 SEPTEMBER
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UN chief
urges commitment to road safety
United Nations General Assembly secretary-general Kofi Annan
has called on Member States for a new level of commitment in tackling
the problem of road traffic injuries, which is projected to rank
third among causes of death and disability by 2020.
"Improving road safety requires strong political will on
the part of Governments," Mr Annan says, adding that countries
should develop and implement a national strategy on road traffic
injury prevention.
An estimated 1.26m people worldwide died as a result of road traffic
injuries in 2000 - 25 per cent of all deaths due to injury. The
UN World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that by 2020 road
traffic injuries could rank third among the cause of death - ahead
of malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS.
More @ http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp
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DfT
launches new seatbelt campaign
A
stark new road safety campaign was launched last week to underline
the risks people take when they don't wear a seatbelt.
DfT statistics show that nearly one in ten drivers and front seat
passengers do not wear seatbelts, and while seatbelt wearing rates
in the back seat have improved about four in ten adults still don't
belt up. The DfT estimates that around 10 front seat users are killed
annually by unbelted rear seat passengers hitting them in a crash.
The campaign includes a new television advert and an interactive
online crash simulator. It highlights the consequences of not belting
up - even at lower speeds in urban areas.
Graphically depicting a road traffic accident, the new TV ad shows
what happens to three young men in a crash when they are unbelted.
The sequence is then re-run with the men wearing seatbelts.
The interactive website demonstrates and describes the effects of
crashing with and without a seatbelt. The 'crash simulator' explains
the type of injury that can occur in a crash, and allows the user
to try out different speeds and different occupants - including
children.
"Too many drivers and passengers still fail to wear a seatbelt,"
Tony McNulty said. "This campaign continues our
thought-provoking publicity to try and convince them of the need
to belt up, even on short trips.
"Wearing a seatbelt can save your life - I hope our new campaign
will be a powerful reminder to those who seem to forget."
More @ www.dft.gov.uk |
Home
zone speed cuts disappoint
The
first ‘before and after’ study of a UK home zone in The
Methleys, Leeds, found it made little difference to travel behaviour,
street activity and noise or pollution (Surveyor, 11 September).
A fuller report on this subject will appear in next week’s
issue of road safety news. |
Scottish
councils wins road safety cash
Six Scottish local authorities will be able to offer additional
teaching on road safety skills for five and six-year-olds as a result
of extra funding announced recently by the Scottish Executive.
Transport Minister Nicol Stephen confirmed that the
six councils - Aberdeen City, Midlothian, East Lothian, Fife, South
Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire - will receive a grant of up to £90,000
spread over three years.
The funding will allow the councils to appoint a local co-ordinator
to work alongside trained volunteers, local authorities and road
safety units to set up and run schemes in a number of selected schools
to teach practical road safety skills.
Announcing the awards, Nicol Stephen said that significant progress
has been made in cutting the number of children killed or seriously
injured on Scotland’s roads, with fatalities and serious injuries
down by over one-third since the mid-1990s. |
Street
lighting schemes will improve road safety
London Transport Minister Tony McNulty has announced
over £25m and £17m for street lighting schemes in Ealing
and Lambeth respectively.
The money will greatly improve the current street lighting services
in both London boroughs. In Ealing it will involve the replacement
of over 13,000 lighting columns and the installation of over 5,000
new lighting columns.
In Lambeth over 8,000 lighting columns will be replaced and 3,000
new lighting columns installed. The better and brighter street lighting
will improve road safety and help to reduce crime and the fear of
crime.
"This is good news for both Ealing and Lambeth," Tony
McNulty said. "The street lighting schemes mean better and
safer roads for local drivers and pedestrians."
More
@ www.dft.gov.uk
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LARSOA
Plenary meeting scheduled for Cambridge
The
next LARSOA Plenary Meeting will be held on 14 October
at the Cambridge Professional Development Centre, Trumpington, Cambridge.
Speakers at the meeting will include Kevin Clinton,
RoSPA’s head of road safety. In addition, the Eastern Region
Working Group will launch the new LARSOA at work road safety resource,
Driving Your Business Risk Down, at the meeting.
This CD looks set to become the definitive source of information
about this increasingly significant topic.
All local authority LARSOA members are entitled to be represented
at the meeting, which is free of charge. The meeting commences at
10.00am and is likely to conclude around 3.00pm.
The Cambridge Professional Development Centre is located a short
taxi ride from Cambridge Station and close to Junction 11 of the
M11.
To book a place at the meeting, or for further information please
contact LARSOA secretary Brian Hogarth, bhogarth@bun.com. |
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