IRSO conference heads for Bournemouth
IRSO's 2007 national conference and AGM will be held in Bournemouth, 4-6 July inclusive.

The conference, Making the Connections - Our Shared Priority, aims to 'help transport professionals understand how to deliver the shared priority for transport'.  

The conference is hosted by IRSO, the professional body for road safety practitioners. Further information about IRSO, and the conference, can be found at www.irso.org.uk

For booking details contact Su Negus on 01634 331710, or susan.negus@medway.gov.uk An early bird discount is available for bookings made before 30 April.

For further information about exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities contact Mark Oldfield on 01296 383449.

Group announces symposium
The Surrey Injury Research Group, in association with PACTS, is organising a road safety symposium to be held on 24 April in Guildford, Surrey.

The symposium, 'Crime, disorder and death on the roads: What are the relationships and how can joined up policy improve community safety?, has been timed to coincide with the first UN Nations Global Road Safety Week.

Speakers will include Robert Gifford (PACTS), chief constable Meredydd Hughes (ACPO) and Heather Ward (Centre for Transport Studies).

For further information or to book a place contact Dr Nicola Christie on 01483 688518, or N.Christie@surrey.ac.uk .

In it to win it...
Companies that have worked to improve the safety of their fleet are being urged to enter the annual Fleet Safety Forum Awards for Excellence, which will be presented on 15 June.

The awards - run by the Fleet Safety Forum, a division of the road safety charity Brake - recognise the achievements of those working to help reduce road deaths involving an at-work driver. Entries are welcome from companies that run any type of fleet, and companies that provide products or services to fleets.

For further information contact Matt Henderson on 01484 559909, or mhenderson@brake.org.uk.  The closing date for entries is 6 April.

Drivers lose Tower speeding case
Thousands of drivers are facing fines of up to £150 for speeding on London's Tower Bridge.

Ruling on a test case, the High Court dismissed the defendants' challenge that the speed-limit signs on the bridge were not legal. The lawyers for six motorists argued the signs were 'not prescribed signs' as the thin border on them affected the drivers' visibility.

Nearly 10,000 summonses were put on hold for the ruling, a city magistrate said. The defendants broke the 20mph speed limit in the area between June and August 2005.

For the full story go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6361531.stm

Cycle mag offered to RSOs

Cheshire road safety unit's cycle safety magazine is about to go to print - and RSOs are invited to purchase a quantity for their own use.

The Zone is described as 'a colourful, lively magazine that provides information, activities and advice on safer cycling'. It is an ideal resource to support Year 5/ 6/7 cycle training programmes.

Topics covered include bike maintenance, helmets and clothing, cycling behaviour and planning safer routes.

For further detail about prices, or to order, contact Delmar Press on 01270 624122, or thezone@delmarpress.co.uk . The deadline for orders is 16 March. Alternatively, for general enquiries contact Justine Hart on 01244 603131, or justine.hart@cheshire.gov.uk

Criminal records check for driving instructors
With criminal record checks on driving instructors set to begin next month, the DSA's chief executive Rosemary Thew said the introduction of the checks reinforced the rule that instructors should be 'fit and proper' people to spend time alone with teenagers.

"We feel it is appropriate that instructors undergo criminal history checks in the same way as other professionals who work with young people. This will give the public an assurance on safety, and further professionalise the driving instructor industry," Rosemary Thew said.  

For further information contact DSA on 0115 901 2851/2.  

Town scraps traffic signs
A German town has scrapped all its traffic signs as part of an EU backed project to encourage responsible driving.

Dutchman Hans Monderman, who is managing the 'shared space' project in the German town of Bohmte, said: "A rural town should look like a rural town and not like the Nuerburgring racing track."

The town, which has 13,000 inhabitants - also now has no traffic signs. Monderman added: "We divide traffic into cars, bikes and pedestrians, and believe that by removing the signs we raise awareness among road users for each other. The less rules there are, the higher the risk of accidents, but also it means drivers take more care."

For the full story go to: http://www.ananova.com/

Young driver focus for safety day
European Road Safety Day, which will be held in Brussels on 27 April, will focus on young drivers.

Click here for further information or to register for the event.

New tool unveiled in the fight against uninsured drivers

Thames Valley Police and the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) have revealed a new weapon in their crackdown on uninsured cars.

A magnetic poster, 'No Insurance, No vehicle', will be placed on the side of all cars seized under Section 165 of the Road Traffic Act from February onwards.

PC Ian Leyland, of Milton Keynes Roads Policing, said: "Evidence shows uninsured and unlicensed drivers are more likely to have a collision and less likely to have other valid documentation for their vehicle.

Ashton West, CEO of the MIB says: "With these new signs the public will instantly know why a vehicle has been seized by the police."

For further information contact Rebecca Webber on 01865 846699.

Police stop motorist for shaving
A man who was having a shave behind the wheel of his car was stopped by police and given safety advice.

The man was one of more than 30 drivers stopped by Thames Valley Police officers carrying out road safety checks in Abingdon. The initiative was a reminder to drivers that from 27 February the law on the use of mobile phones while driving will be tightened.

The motorists all escaped fines and were instead given advice by Oxfordshire RSOs.

For the full story go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk

Toad safety

Around this time of year toads are feeling romantic and want to hop to their nearest breeding pond to find a mate.

But often busy roads have isolated the route to their pond, and the only thing to do is risk life and limb by hopping across the highway. Every spring, tens of thousands of amphibians are killed by cars as they cross roads to breed in their ancestral breeding ponds.

Various measures are taken to help the toads across the roads safely, and in Leicestershire that has included toad patrols carrying the toads across in buckets, and even a toad tunnel running under a road.

Coleorton's toad tunnel (a miniature subway for frogs and toads) underneath the busy A512, was included in the plans when the road was built in 1993.

Nearby are two distinctive road signs featuring a toad. The signs are only in operation 12 weeks every year (6 weeks migration to the pond, and 6 weeks for toads migrating back across the road once they have spawned).

For further information about the Toads on Roads campaign go to: www.froglife.org.