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OTHER
NEWS IN BRIEF - W/C 21 JUNE 2004
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Britain’s
most dangerous road unveiled
The biggest study ever undertaken on the safety of Europe's roads
has branded the A537 between Macclesfield and Buxton in Derbyshire
the most dangerous major road in England.
Over the last 18 months the European Road Assessment Programme
(EuroRAP) has graded more than 800 major UK roads for safety and
has come up with a list of the country's most dangerous roads.
EuroRAP then surveyed the best and worst roads to try and find
out what makes a safe road. It found that road safety could be
dramatically improved by following some simple steps.
"We have to make roads more forgiving," says John
Dawson, AA policy director and EuroRAP chairman. "Everyday
human error shouldn't carry a death sentence. People should not
be dying on major routes because basic protection is absent from
entirely predictable collisions, such as with unfenced roadside
objects."
To see the 10 most dangerous roads in England go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/roadsafety/.
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Derbyshire
launches child seat campaign
Derbyshire parents are being urged this week to make sure their
children’s car seats are fitted correctly. During Child
Safety Week (21-27 June) members of the county council’s
highways safety team will be working with independent experts to
offer free advice and checks.
Parents can take their car to three locations in the county to check
if their child seat is safe, if it is fitted correctly and is the
correct type for the vehicle. Checks carried out in supermarket
and town centre car parks last year revealed that almost 70 per
cent of seats were fitted incorrectly.
An unrestrained child can be killed by being thrown forward at speeds
as low as five miles an hour, and figures show that in Derbyshire
(excluding Derby) one child was killed, 19 were seriously injured
and 154 were slightly injured while travelling as passengers in
a car in 2003.
"We want to raise awareness that having a safety seat in a
car is not enough if it is incorrectly fitted, damaged or the wrong
type for the vehicle – the figures speak for themselves,"
said councillor Walter Burrows, the council’s
cabinet member for public protection and transport.
For further information contact Catriona Cummings
on 01629 585213, or catriona.cummings@derbyshire.gov.uk. |
Double
celebration in Lancashire
A giant birthday cake marked two important milestones for road safety
in Lancashire last week.
County Council representatives gathered at St John with St Augustine's
School, Accrington, to celebrate the milestone of 20,000 children
who have been trained through the council’s 'Right Start'
pedestrian training programme.
"It is vital that children learn the skills to manage the road
environment at an early age," said Anita Bailey,
road safety adviser for Right Start. "To have 20,000 children
go through training to develop important traffic awareness and pedestrian
skills is a real milestone."
The Right Start landmark coincides with the sixth anniversary of
the 'Together We Can Make the Difference' road safety strategy,
which fell on 19 June. Since its launch in 1998 over 22,000 individuals,
companies, organisations, health representatives, schools and colleges
have signed up to Make the Difference.
"Together We Can Make the Difference provides a focus for people
to raise awareness of road safety issues in their work place, through
their hobbies and their local community," Clare Farrer,
principal road safety adviser, explained.
"Road Safety is now high on the agenda for many people and
it is by working together that we can work towards reducing road
casualties across the county."
For further information contact: Stephen Axon on 01772
533194, or
stephen.axon@css.lancscc.gov.uk. |
Children’s
Traffic Club provided FOC to Torfaen youngsters
Sainsbury’s in Cwmbran hosted an exhibition of the Children’s
Traffic Club on 10 June.
Officers from Capita Symonds Road Safety Section were on
hand to tell shoppers all about this national road safety initiative
for three year olds and their parents. It’s never too early
to begin teaching children how to be safe road users and the Children’s
Traffic Club aims to make the learning experience fun!
The Welsh Assembly Government and Torfaen County Borough Council
have provided funding to make the club available free of charge
for all three year olds in Torfaen. Club members receive a set of
specially designed, colourful teaching materials, over a period
of one and a half years.
For further information on the Children’s Traffic Club contact
Andy Pugh on 01633 463245. |
Seminar
will address bosses’ ‘cash for car’ safety dilemma
Two
of the toughest questions facing managers with responsibility for
people who drive as their job will be dealt with at RoSPA's latest
seminar on managing occupational road risk (MORR).
Delegates will hear about the problems of supervising employees
who opt for ‘cash for a car’ instead of a company car.
And they will also learn about setting up a MORR policy from scratch.
The Practical Risk Management seminar, sponsored by Toyota
GB, will be held at the Renaissance Hotel, Solihull, on July 14.
"The vast majority of people have to drive to some extent as
part of their job and most use their own vehicles, but employers
still have an obligation to manage the risks they face on the road,"
said Roger Bibbings, RoSPA occupational safety adviser.
"This can be a minefield for managers faced with a variety
of forms of vehicle provision, including cash allowances to pay
for a car and mileage allowances.
Delegates will be given advice on the subject by Roger Ashman
of Fleet Support Group - an independent vehicle management company,
providing support for fleet operators and individual drivers. Other
speakers will look at driver fatigue, drink and drugs, inappropriate
speed, corporate manslaughter and insurance.
For bookings and details call 0870 777 2120 or visit www.rospa.com/morr |
Plans
for European Mobility Week 2004 unveiled
The theme chosen for European Mobility Week 2004
(Thursday 16 to Wednesday 22 September) is Safe streets for children.
The final day of the week will be In Town, Without My Car! Day
(also known as European Car Free Day).
This year, for the first time, participating local authorities are
being asked to implement one or more permanent new practical measure
to contribute to modal transfer from private car to environmentally
sound means of transport.
"Given that the In Town, Without My Car! day falls in the middle
of the week we are suggesting that local authorities work with schools,"
says Jacqui Wilkinson of the DfT’s Sustainable
Travel Initiatives Branch. "Permanent new practical measures
could include items such as unveiling new safe routes and 20mph
zones, widening pavements, new safe road crossings and launching
walking buses."
"For the rest of the week we are suggesting that, to fit in
with the theme, local authorities could run daily travel awareness
events – for example promoting a different sustainable transport
mode each day and highlighting how children can safely use each
mode," Jacqui Wilkinson adds.
"Many local authorities will probably continue the tradition
of running a street party event on 18/19 September. This should
include plenty of activities for children - such as sand-pits, street
painting and cycle training, which were all very popular at events
last year," Jacqui Wilkinson concludes.
Further information can be found at http://www.itwmc.gov.uk
and the European Commission's site at http://www.22september.org.
Free copies of the In Town, Without My Car! Good Practice Guide
are available from the national co-ordinator Richard Evans,
richard.m.evans@ntlworld.com
or 020 8946 0912. |
MCIA
presents Road User Education conference
The Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCIA)
is holding a one-day conference to explore what possibilities exist
for incorporating road user education within the National Curriculum.
The conference, Road User Education, will take place on 6 July at
One Great George Street, Westminster, London. For further information
or to book ring 02476 250806. |
Norfolk
plans second ‘quiet lanes’ network
Highways engineers in Norfolk are to implement
a second network of ‘quiet lanes’ next month (Surveyor,
10 June).
The decision to extend the special designation to a series of minor
roads in south Norfolk follows the success of the first scheme in
the north east of the county.
Measured traffic flows were down by an average of 10 per cent over
the three years, while speeds fell by between 1.5mph and 4mph. In
a survey of 100 tourists, 39 per cent said they drove more carefully.
Local people expressed strong support for the quiet lane network
‘although it has not necessarily met all the expectations of
stakeholders’, according to a report to the council’s
cabinet.
Introduced by the Transport Act 2000, quiet lanes aim to make rural
minor roads more pleasant for walkers, cyclists and horse riders
through entry treatments and special signing. |
ITS
conference takes safety theme
The twelfth annual ITS (Intelligent Transport
Society) United Kingdom Summer Conference takes the theme 'Safety
in Transport'. The conference will be held at Winchester Guildhall
on 6-7 July and is open to ITS members and non-members. For details
of fees and speakers, and a booking form, visit www.its-uk.org.uk. |
Drug
drivers face the 'dog breath' test
A machine designed to detect cancer on dogs'
breath could be used by police to crackdown on motorists driving
under the influence of drugs.
The roadside breathalyser kits, which detect all types of drugs,
will give police forces the means to instantly snare drivers who
have used narcotics such as cannabis or ecstasy, which are difficult
to find without blood samples.
The hypersensitive machine, dubbed a 'laser nose', is able to detect
tiny traces of telltale gases in dogs' breath to help identify diseases.
It came to the attention of officers from Scotland’s Police
Scientific Development Branch during a presentation made by the
Glasgow team to the House of Commons Science and Technology Select
Committee. According to the Home Office, the PSDB is now arranging
a meeting with Glasgow scientists to discuss ways the technology
could be used in drug detection.
More @ http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com |
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