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RSOs encouraged to complete DfT resources website survey

The company behind the DfT's new road safety educational resources website is seeking feedback on the site's functionality.

The website, www.databases.dft.gov.uk/roadsafety, has been created to enable road safety professionals to locate the best resources to suit their needs, and to learn from the work of others.

Interested professionals are being asked to visit the site and complete a short survey to help further develop it to maximise its usefulness.

The company behind the site, Educari, is also encouraging RSOs to supply details of resources they know about for inclusion on the site, and to write a short review of resources that they have found useful.

For further information contact Richard Ives, richard@educari.com, or Tracey Reynolds, tracey@educari.com on 01328 878790.

'Active safety' is a mystery to most

A SMMT survey released on 31 October indicates that most people are not familiar with the latest safety technologies fitted to new cars (Roadsafe News, Nov 2005).

The survey sampled 110 people in central London and showed that:

• 58% of those asked could not name any active safety systems in a modern car;
• only 29% named ABS, even though this is now standard on all new cars;
• just 5% of drivers knew about ESP (electronic stability programme);
• and 6% were unable to name any active or passive safety feature.

Active safety systems are technologies that prevent accidents from happening, while passive safety limits the impact of a crash on vehicle occupants or pedestrians.

For further information visit: http://www.smmt.co.uk

Kerbcraft success celebrated in South Lanarkshire

Pupils at a primary school in South Lanarkshire have been presented with certificates for completing their Kerbcraft training.

Hannah Callaghan and her classmates at St. Ninian's Primary School have joined hundreds of other youngsters in the region who have completed the programme this year, thanks to the assistance of parents and other volunteers.

"We need a ratio of one adult for every two children to ensure a close eye is kept on the group," said Kerbcraft co-ordinator, Alison Hogg . "Around 1500 child pedestrians are killed or injured on Scotland's roads each year, and a lot of this can be put down to the fact that many children do not have an understanding of basic road safety skills.

"Kerbcraft gives us a chance to take young children out to the roadside and give them a practical demonstration of those basic skills."

For further information contact Andrew Thompson, Andrew.Thompson@southlanarkshire.gsx.gov.uk

Kingston horse riders prepare for test

Riders at Kingston Riding Centre in London are working hard to improve their road safety skills in preparation for the British Horse Society's Riding and Road Safety Test.

To pass the test candidates need to prove they have good knowledge of the Highway Code, the ability to deal with various safety hazards, and be able to demonstrate turns at junctions and crossroads. Candidates also need to show how to 'be safe be seen'.

"According to the British Horse Society, on average eight horse related road accidents occur on the roads every day," said James Parker, Kingston's safety and travel awareness manager. "With more education and training of horse riders, and the increased awareness of drivers, we feel that we are making a positive contribution to improving this situation."

Around 5000 people countrywide take the test each year and the British Horse Society's safety office is keen to put RSOs in touch with its regional representatives to enable local promotional activity.  

For further information contact James Parker on 020 8547 5923, or James.Parker@rbk.kingston.gov.uk

Irish safety chief resigns

Eddie Shaw last week resigned as chairman of the National Safety Council in the Republic of Ireland, a position he had held for the past six years.

Martin Cullen , minister for transport, said that he had been surprised by Mr Shaw's decision to go.

But Labour Party transport spokesperson, Roisin Shortall blasted the government saying the resignation was 'a damning vote of no confidence in the Minister of Transport'.

She said Mr Shaw had been 'a constant and courageous voice in drawing attention to the woeful inadequacies in the government's approach to road safety'.

Ms Shortall said Mr Shaw's efforts to force the government to show some urgency in dealing with the carnage on the roads had been greeted with 'no more than an indifferent shrug of the shoulders' from both the minister and the Taoiseach.

She said that Mr Shaw felt there was no collective will in government to implement the penalty point system, and claimed if the government had done what it promised to do on road safety, an average of 142 lives could be saved each year.

"I only hope that Mr Shaw's resignation will shake Minister Cullen and the Taoiseach out of their complacency and that they will begin to treat road safety with the seriousness it deserves," she concluded.

For the full story go to: http://www.breakingnews.ie

Study highlights tyre pressure worries

More than two million motorists in the UK are risking their lives by not checking their tyre pressures or tread, according to a study carried out for the RAC Foundation by NOP Automotive (Roadsafe News, Nov 2005).

The study showed that 7% of motorists only check their tyre pressure and tread once a year, and 13% only make checks when going on a long journey. 49% of respondents said they check pressure once a month - and 5% per cent of women said they never check their tyres.

Research shows that 6% of all fatal motorway accidents are caused by the sudden failure of an under inflated tyre, while worn tyres contribute to 10% of accidents in wet conditions.

Recent tests by MIRA concluded that cars show significantly increased stopping distances in the wet when the tread depth falls below 3.5mm. A vehicle with tyres with only 1mm of tread will take 60% longer to stop on a wet road.

For the full survey results go to: http://www.tyresafety.co.uk

Winter driving event for novice drivers

Buckinghamshire County Council is running two winter driving information evenings for novice drivers.

The course will include Information and advice on weather, vision and driving on hazardous roads. "We are aiming to educate in an informative way and to offer valuable advice on how to stay safe on the roads this winter," said Valerie Letheren , portfolio holder for transportation.

For further information contact the road safety team on 01296 38245.

Council unveils National Standard training instructors

Halton Borough Council's 11 newly qualified National Standard cycle training instructors will launch the new National Standard for Child Cyclist Training in the borough early in the New Year.

The council funded the training for three employees and eight community support officers, and training provider BIKE RIGHT delivered the four-day course. The instructors are now waiting for the next stage of their training - a monitoring and assessment session at a pilot school.

A partnership between Halton Borough Council and Cheshire Police has allowed the authority to offer this new training to primary schools throughout the borough, with a view to piloting it in secondary schools.

Halton is also seeking to secure a bursary from Cycling England in the New Year to recruit and train further instructors in order to further expand training in the area.

For further information contact Lisa.Scott@halton-borough.gov.uk

Councils want blanket 20mph limit

A majority of highway authorities think that the government should introduce a 20mph limit on all residential roads to make designation and enforcement easier (Surveyor, 24 Nov).

In a survey conducted by Transport 2000, 64% of highway authorities said that a national 20mph limit for some types of road was needed. 72% of the 113 councils asked said inadequate funding was an obstacle to implementing more 20mph zones, while 54% said the traffic police needed resources to enforce them.

Beds participates in online conference

Bedfordshire's road safety team is participating in the Global Learning Communities Online Conference, 28 November - 4 December 2005.

The virtual conference, which is taking place on www.glc.me.uk/conferences, involves thousands of children and young people around the world.

Road safety topics include Spike (for 4 - 10 year olds) and So who invented road safety anyway? (for 11 - 16 year olds).

Road safety minister spins off in Top Gear crash

Viewers of the new series of BBC2's Top Gear programme saw the road safety minister spin off a test track at 80mph.

Dr Stephen Ladyman crashed into a wall of tyres while taking part in the show's star in a reasonably priced car section, in which celebrities do a timed circuit in a Suzuki Liana saloon.

Mr Ladyman, who normally drives an Alfa Romeo 156, said: "The car is not worth quite as much as it was when I got into it. I was too frightened to look at the speedometer."

Dr Ladyman has also defended the programme's presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, from his critics. "Jeremy isn't encouraging people to break the speed limit - he hasn't even had any speeding tickets," he said.

For the full article visit: http://www.timesonline.co.uk