Interviewees wanted for child road safety study

The DfT has commissioned Turnstone Research to undertake a child road safety study, focusing on ways to reduce the number of accidents among children from deprived backgrounds and ethnic minority groups.

In particular, the researchers are looking at the information needs of these groups and the best ways to communicate with them. This will involve interviewing road safety officers as well as teachers, parents and play workers.

Speed Shatters Life campaign launched

Marion Cornick, whose daughter was killed in a moped crash, helped the Kent & Medway Safety Camera Partnership launch its new campaign Speed Shatters Life last week.

The initiative includes posters displayed alongside each fixed speed camera showing the number of casualties at the site three years prior to the camera being installed. As such, each camera acts as a reminder of those who have been killed or seriously injured in a bid to stop such tragedies reoccurring.

Mrs Cornick said: "People think they are immortal and it is not going to happen to them, but unfortunately the statistics show that it does happen to real people and to real families."

'Fatal' car crash drives home message

A realistic car crash was staged at Newbury College last week as part of West Berkshire's road safety team's on going campaign, For My Girlfriend .

The reconstruction featured two performing arts students who played the 'victims' splattered with fake blood in an overturned car.

Members of Thames Valley Police attended the scene, together with the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Royal Berkshire Ambulance Service. An air ambulance circled overhead while the victims were carefully cut out of the car by the fire officers and treated by the ambulance crew. Unfortunately the female passenger in the front seat was pronounced 'dead' at the scene. The hard-hitting message behind this campaign is that driving too fast for the road conditions can lead to losing a loved one.

The station commander of Newbury fire station, Neil Carter , said the event had been arranged to prevent accidents from happening and the demonstration had been positive and realistic.

Interactive Highway Code CD launched

A new interactive Highway Code CD-Rom has been launched by Interactive Driving Systems (IDS).

Research based on a survey of 1,039 drivers by IDS, the Association of Industrial Road Safety Officers, Brake and the Institute of Advanced Motorists, revealed that 50 per cent of respondents claimed to have an up-to-date copy of the Code, even though 74 per cent did not actually know when the latest edition was published. More than a fifth (22.5 per cent) had not read it for over 10 years, even though 61 per cent drive more than 10,000 miles per annum.

Animation and video clips bring, for example, the Green Cross Code to life for road users of all ages. Questions on the CD cover every rule in the Highway Code, thereby aiding learning and comprehension for all. Examples can be seen at www.highwaycode.net .

To purchase the CD-Rom call 01484 400399. The cost is £6.99 (plus post and packaging) with volume discounts available on request.

Meeting Without Moving plan to cut road deaths

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has urged UK bosses to back a campaign aimed at saving lives by cutting the amount of time employees spend on the road.

Between 800 and 1,000 deaths each year are linked to people driving for work and RoSPA believes many of those killed are making unnecessary journeys. The Society is supporting the Meeting Without Moving Foundation, which has recently been launched to persuade employers to consider using technology such as video conferencing as a substitute for long road trips.

The Foundation will also seek support from Government and influential bodies and offer advice to businesses and other organisations wanting to reduce road journeys.

PACTS expresses concern at rise in drink-drive casualties

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) has expressed concern about the continuing rise in drink-drive deaths, following the release of new figures in Road Casualties Great Britain 2003: Annual Report , that show a two per cent rise in drink-drive deaths over 2002.

The rise in fatalities has been accompanied by a rise in the percentage of drivers testing positive for illegal levels of alcohol. In 2003 ,22 per cent of car drivers and 13 per cent of motorcyclists killed on the roads were over the legal blood alcohol limit at the time. Despite this, the number of breath-tests conducted at the roadside has fallen.

"Faced with these disturbing figures, surely it is time for the Government to take further action to prevent drinking and driving," said Robert Gifford , PACTS executive director. "The Government should review the proposals contained in Combating Drink Driving: Next Steps and in the 2000 Road Safety Strategy to see what measures need to be taken forward."

For further information go to www.pacts.org.uk

Efforts to cut casualties 'hampered by committees'

Area committees with devolved road safety budgets are undermining councils' efforts to cut casualties, according to research by the DfT ( Surveyor , 30 September).

Failure to base scheme selection on casualty data, inadequate before and after monitoring and the low political priority attached to road safety were also blamed for the poor performance of some authorities. In addition, experienced staff, especially skilled road safety engineers, are in short supply.

Even those authorities on course to reach their national casualty reduction targets, have yet to achieve 'added value' by delivering safety enhancing measures through their maintenance and improvement programmes.

Consultant Capita Symonds' study found a common factor for several poor performers was local committees that decided where safety work was carried out. The problem was exacerbated by officers who failed to get their objective assessments across to councillors, or had no objective assessment to give.

And finally...

tv ad hilites road safety concerns about ppl txtin wen drivin

The road safety council of wales is woreid that 2 many ppl are now textin wen drivin so it is putin an anim8d ad on tv 2 remind drivas itz a dngerus thng 2 do the ad woz cr8ed by student mat morgan of glam uni in a comp btween 6 students the ad wich is in english and welsh runs thru oct on s4c a recent survey found that 1 in 10 drivas admited txtin wen drivin

4 more info email sbaker@rospa.com