LARSOA CD scoops Prince Michael Road Safety Award

The hard work, skill and expertise of a small group of LARSOA members, working for local authorities in East Anglia, has been rewarded with a prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.

The Award, in the fleet and service category, is for a high profile CD Rom presentation, 'Driving Your Business Risk Down'. The CD aims to reduce road accident casualties by encouraging organisations to develop policies and good practice to improve the road safety of employees who drive as part of their working day. Nearly 3000 copies have been snapped up by local authorities, businesses and other commercial organisations.

Steve Whitehouse, chair of LARSOA said: "A very large number of people in this country drive a vehicle as part of their employment. For some the car has become, in effect, a mobile office. It is often not well understood that once an employee uses a vehicle during the working day - whether it be a company vehicle or a private car - it is the employer's responsibility to provide the right vehicle for the job, and the knowledge and skills to drive safely and efficiently. In the case of the driver of a company car, that even includes the journey from home to and from the place of work.

"This purpose of this excellent CD Rom is to provide road safety professionals and employers with the information and advice they need to improve the safety of drivers and other road users."

The CD Rom was the result of several months of hard work by a small team of road safety officers in the eastern counties, with technical assistance from Stennik, a Norfolk-based communications and marketing company.

The Award was presented at a LARSOA meeting in Birmingham on Tuesday 12 October, by Roger King on behalf of RoadSafe, the organisers of the Prince Michael Road Safety Awards scheme.

Steve Whitehouse concluded: "I am delighted on behalf of LARSOA, and, in particular those whose hard work created the resource, to thank the Prince Michael of Kent Road Safety Awards scheme for this award, which we hope will further raise the interest already shown in this subject - and will help reduce the numbers killed and injured in road accidents."

Further information is available from Steve Whitehouse on 0151 934 4231, or steve.whitehouse@technical.sefton.gov.uk