| LARSOA - ROAD SAFETY NEWS - 24 APRIL 2006 |
Please close this window to return to the LARSOA news pages Irish minister backs road safety lessons The minister said it was not feasible to provide driving lessons for 15-16 year-olds in schools because of space and other restrictions. But she believes a huge amount can be done 'not only on the rules of the road but in teaching about respect and responsibility'. Speaking last week, the Minister said: "Schools can't solve the problem. There is a gap between the 15-year-old in the classroom and the 18-year-old behind the wheel. But there is much that can be done in terms of the rules of the road, attitudes and responsibility." Ms Hanafin said there was an onus particularly on young girls to take more responsibility for car safety. "Unfortunately, many of the deaths on our roads are of young men and a great deal of this is linked to speed and alcohol. But the young girl in the car has a responsibility to herself and everyone else to say you are speeding, stop and get out." A few schools already provide road safety lessons as part of transition year but there is no formal national programme for schools. For the full story go to: http://www.ireland.com Putting a stop to the lollipop bullies In some instances, impatient car drivers have even accelerated around SCPs after they had been asked to stop. SCP Dawn Dixon said rude and thoughtless drivers were an unfortunate part of the job. "You do get some people who drive straight past, and they need to be more aware that they are near a school. I was almost hit by a car two years ago, which eventually resulted in a successful conviction." For the full story go to: http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk Tiny percentage caught speeding The cameras, which operated over 26 days in October and November 2005, caught 282 offenders out of an estimated traffic volume of 1,040,000 cars - just 0.03% of total cars. Kevin Tea, communications manager for Cumbria Safety Cameras commented: "The cameras were installed at the request of the Highways Agency following the deaths of four workers at roadworks in the first half of 2005. "Looking at the traffic figures and the proportionately small number of cars caught speeding, we know that we were successful in encouraging drivers to slow down - and we didn't record one injury accident in the time the cameras were operating." For further information contact Kevin Tea on 01768 217791. DSA explains new legislation This important piece of legislation being introduced throughout Europe as a road safety measure for lorry, bus and coach drivers. New rules on qualifying and training to stay qualified are being introduced in 2008 for bus and coach drivers and in 2009 for lorry drivers. Existing drivers will not have to pass the initial qualification, but will be subject to a five yearly periodic training requirement. Professional drivers will have to keep their certificate valid by completing a total of 35 hours periodic training every five years. There will be no additional test to take. For further information go to: http://www.dsa.gov.uk/ Gloucester humps to be removed Significant opposition to flat-top humps used in the first stages of the £5m project have been shown in a recent 'safer city referendum'. Locals complained of discomfort to drivers and passengers, noise and vibration, and damage to vehicle suspensions. Brake unveils new sticker Brake has unveiled a new rear windscreen sticker that encourages other drivers to keep their distance. For further information or to place an order call 01484 559909 or email admin@brake.org.uk. Level crossing safety drive Road safety minister, Dr Stephen Ladyman, last week tabled a new clause to the Road Safety Bill to remove any uncertainty about councils' legal responsibilities. Network Rail's offer, which the Government has accepted, will cover expenditure by councils on any road signs deemed necessary, and even the installation of closed-circuit television cameras to help police catch motorists who try to dodge lowering barriers. Drink drive rate rises Northern Constabulary said that, of 21 people detected between Good Friday and Easter Monday, 12 were reported by members of the public. Inspector John Smith, of the force's road policing section, said that drink driving was 'totally unacceptable', and encouraged people to come forward with information about drink drivers. For the full story go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk Article highlights discrepancies in test pass rates The article says that analysis of driving test pass rates released by the Driving Standards Agency shows that there are huge regional disparities between those who pass and fail. The best pass rate in the country is in Lerwick in the Shetland Isles with 67.8% of people passing, followed by the Isle of Skye with 63.6%. The inner cities of Birmingham and Leeds are among those with the worst pass rates, with Wood Green in north London the lowest at 26.7%. For the full story go to: http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/Story/0,,1754856,00.html Police get tough on drivers using phones Figures highlighted by the Eastern Daily Press recently showed that Norfolk was one of the five areas in the country where people were most likely to get away with driving and chatting on a mobile. Norfolk handed out 904 fixed penalty notices last year - an increase of 2% on the previous year. In contrast, Cambridgeshire enforced 1,342 fixed penalty notices and Suffolk handed out 1,695 - an increase of 72%. For the full story go to: http://new.edp24.co.uk. Wiltshire cameras making an impact The statistics show the number of collisions where someone was killed or injured is down from 133 in 2004/05 to 74 in 2005/06 - a 44% drop. Two people were killed between April 2005 and April 2006, compared to four during the same period last year. Partnership manager David Frampton said: "When we started enforcing on the M4 some people said we would make the roads more dangerous. These figures prove that this is not the case. The signs and cameras encourage motorists to slow down." The introduction of the mobile cameras, which sit on various M4 bridges between Chippenham at junction 17 and Swindon East at junction 15, sparked controversy. For the full story go to: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk. ACT hosts cycling masterclass The masterclass is designed to illustrate how cycling fits in to various types of travel planning - what opportunities exist, why they work, and how they work alongside other initiatives. It is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the benefits and current methods of promoting cycling among staff at an organisation, and provide opportunities to network and discuss the practicalities - especially as applied to participants' local or specialist areas. Hosted by GlaxoSmithKline, there will be the opportunity to view the company's state of the art cycling facilities on a site tour at the end of the day. For further information contact ACT on 020 7348 1970, or mail@act-uk.com . Or click here to download a booking form.
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