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ROAD SAFETY NEWS - WEEK COMMENCING 12 JANUARY 2004

Government should act on drink-drive, RoSPA says
The UK’s drink-drive problems will continue to grow unless the Government agrees to cut the current alcohol limit, RoSPA said last week as figures for the festive period showed another increase in the proportion of drivers testing positive after crashes.

http://www.rospa.co.uk/CMS/
Encourage your wife to drive, GEM advises older men
Britain has an increasing population of older drivers and although they can claim experience on their side, because of declining physical and mental function they could be less safe than younger drivers, says The Guild of Experienced Motorists (GEM).

Impaired vision, weakening hearing, less physical strength and agility, the effect of medication and slower reaction times mean mature drivers can misinterpret information and then be unable to respond fast enough to solve a problem, GEM adds.

Brian Lunn, chief examiner of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, suggests remedies. He says that from middle age drivers should take a regular, critical, honest look at their driving performance, and have regular eye and medical tests.

"If both husband and wife drive they should each keep in practise," says GEM chief executive, David Williams. "The biggest increase in licence holders in the last 30 years has been among women, but many older couples overlook the importance of sharing the driving.

"Not only does this help overcome concentration and fatigue problems that particularly impact on the older person, but if a situation arises where the husband can no longer drive it can be very hard for his wife to start driving again."

More @ http://www.roadsafety.org.uk
Brake condemns drink-drivers
The road safety charity Brake and Green Flag Motoring Assistance have published survey results showing drivers believe there is only a small chance of getting caught for drink driving.

The survey found that over half thought there was only a one in four or less chance of getting caught while a third of drivers thought there was only a one in ten chance.

Brake wants a lowering of the current drink-drive legal limit, increased traffic police and police to be given the power to randomly stop drivers and carry out roadside breath tests. Brake says these changes are essential to stop people believing they can drink and drive and not get caught.

"Clearly the Government’s message on drink-driving is failing to get through," said Mary Williams, Brake’s chief executive. "Shockingly, deaths involving drink-driving have risen by a third over the last decade. More needs to be done to tackle this escalating problem.

"The current drink-drive limit is sending out the wrong message. The depressing reality is that under existing laws drivers think it is okay to have one drink and drive -when it isn’t. We want the Government to reduce the drink-drive limit and give police the power to carry out random breath tests. We need to implement more rigorous laws combined with greater police enforcement in order to tackle drink-driving head on. Only then will the Government begin to see a reduction in this often deadly and anti-social problem."

For further information contact Brake's campaign officer Simon Collister on 01484 559909 or 07971 612857.

FOOTNOTE:
Glyn Robinson, publicity manager with the DfT Think! team comments on the
above article as follows:-

"I would like to point out a factual inaccuracy in the above article. Brake states that drink drive deaths have risen by a third in the last decade. The latest figure we have for drink drive deaths is the 2002 provisional figure of 560. In 1992 drink drive fatalities were 660, which means that drink drive deaths have declined, not risen."
God bless the gritters
A Bishop was called in to bless a council's gritters last week - in a bid to help cut road deaths in icy weather.

The Bishop of Lincoln, the Right Rev Dr John Saxbee, led prayers at the city's gritting depot for the drivers, 39 lorries and tonnes of salt. Road safety blessing services were also held at eight other depots across the county.

The bishop prayed: "Dear God of love, be with those who travel on our roads by night and day. We especially pray for your blessing on men and machines as they grit the roads in anticipation of dangerous driving conditions. May they be protected in their endeavours, succeed in making safe the highways for all who use them, and spread throughout our county the good news of your love and protection."

The blessing was the idea of chief inspector Paul Elliott, a member of the Lincolnshire Christian Police Association. He said: "The main aim is to spread a blessing on the roads to try to reverse the trend of fatalities and injury. The idea is that gritters go out for four hours at a time spreading prayer - instead of me and other Christians walking that route praying."

More @ http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/content