Football fans onto a winner

Fifteen pairs of tickets for last Saturday's Coca Cola Championship match between Preston North End and Crewe Alexandra were awarded to people who took part in a special road safety competition.

The match was one of the highlights of the Lancashire Road Safety Group's link up with Preston and kicks off this season's THINK! sponsorship deal with the Football League.

As part of the competition entrants were asked: 'On what day did it become illegal nationally to use hand held phones while driving?' The answer is1 December 2003.

Christine Gibson, senior road safety adviser, explained the message behind the sponsorship: "Our current campaign reminds drivers' to 'switch off before you drive off'. By sponsoring the match at North End we raised awareness of our road safety messages to a target audience of all ages at one event."

For further information contact Martin Crabtree on 01772 533536, or martin.crabtree@css.lancscc.gov.uk.

Roadsafe organises winter driving meeting for experts
Winter in the UK is more about rain and fog than about ice and snow - but icy roads do occur and snow does fall, often catching drivers unaware. With the onset of darker mornings and evenings, pedestrians (particularly children) are especially vulnerable - but so too are drivers and riders. Driving in the winter months has dangers that are quite different from those experienced during the summer.

That's why Roadsafe has organised a meeting that will bring together experts on driving in rain, fog, ice and snow, with those behind the technology designed to make driving in these conditions safer. Subjects under discussion will be both technical and practical. The meeting takes place on 20 October - timed to lead into the end of British Summer Time on 31 October - at Forbes House, Halkin St, London SW1X 7DS.

Speakers will include Kevin Delaney, RAC Foundation of the Motorist, Will Dunnett from PRISMO and Margaret Tester, Swindon's road safety officer

For further information or to register email Adrian Walsh, awalsh@roadsafe.com

Police warn doctors and drivers over medication
There has been a rise in recorded drug-driving offences across Essex in the last 12 months, with many cases involving prescription drugs rather than recreational substances.

Road policing officers in the county say the problem is particularly prevalent among elderly drivers who may be unaware that they are under the influence of powerful drugs because their medication is legitimately prescribed by doctors. In a number of cases doctors have failed to check whether their elderly patients are still driving.

Inspector Alan Jelley is urging pharmaceutical companies to consider printing warnings on drug packaging aimed specifically at the elderly. "Many doctors assume their most elderly and frail patients gave up driving years ago," he said. "However, they fail to ask them this crucial question and prescribe medicines that place their patients in a position of involuntary drug-driving.

"We're urging GPs to specifically ask elderly patients if they intend driving before giving them a prescription or actually asking them if they are taking any self-administered medication."

High Court to decide on 'illegal' 30mph limit
The High Court will be asked to decide next month if a magistrate was wrong to say a 30mph speed limit on an unlit rural road was illegal (Surveyor, 16 September).

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is to appeal to the High Court after Redditch Magistrates' Court found a driver was not guilty of exceeding a 30mph speed limit on the B4551 in Worcestershire - because the limit was illegal.

The Association of British Drivers brought the test case. It claimed councils were illegally creating 30mph zones on unlit roads using Section 82 of the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984, in order to make roads 'restricted', then seeking to comply with Section 85 by placing repeater signs.

A spokesman for the CPS said: "There is a public interest in asking the High Court to agree that the magistrate was wrong in law. There are several cases against other local authorities which would hinge on the correctness - or otherwise - of that decision."

PACTS seeks examples of rural road safety management
PACTS' Road Environment Working Party is seeking examples of innovation and development in safety management taking place at local authority level - particularly in the context of rural safety management, where there is no major DfT demonstration project to guide local authorities.  

"Innovative work at a local authority level does not usually get the same high profile as nationally-led projects," says PACTS policy and campaigns officer, Jonathan Gaventa. "The Working Party is looking for examples of activity at this level - both projects that have succeeded, and those that have failed."

RoSPA unveils new online check for company drivers
RoSPA has teamed up with Creative Training Online to produce an on-line risk assessment tool for employees who drive as part of their job. It is available at three different levels and uses material that has either been approved or endorsed by the Driving Standards Agency.

Charles Davis, RoSPA head of driver and fleet solutions, said: "The Online Knowledge Test has been produced in response to enquiries from a number of our customers who wanted to carry out basic assessments of their drivers.

"Most people will admit they have not looked at the Highway Code since they passed their driving test. This test will help employers to identify areas of knowledge where their drivers need some refresher training or more serious help. It addresses topics necessary for work-related, safe and fuel-efficient driving."

The Bronze Pre-Assessment induction tool comprises 30 random questions and costs £5 plus VAT per assessment. The Silver Certificated Assessment has 40 questions and costs £10 plus VAT.

The Gold Assessment includes the silver check and also offers the RoSPA Driver Profiler for a discounted price of £17.50 plus VAT. The web-based Driver Profiler uses a psychometric test that can determine eight different driver character traits and can identify possible problems with individual drivers in an organisation.

Candidates need to have a sound knowledge of the current edition of the Highway Code, Know Your Traffic Signs and the official theory test for drivers of either cars or large goods vehicles,

For details, see www.rospa.com/drivertraining/ or telephone 0121 248 2065.

Accidents down near camera sites in Wiltshire
Road accidents are down by 64 per cent at crash spots in Wiltshire where safety cameras are on display. The new figure, for cameras in the Wiltshire and Swindon areas, was announced by Wiltshire County Council - and the Council claims this is the second highest reduction among 24 regional speed camera set-ups around the UK.

The council said the drop was supported by a 33 per cent reduction in the number of hospital bed-days occupied by road accident casualties.

John Thomson, chairman of the council's Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee, said an extra 100 people each year are alive across the country because of the fall in road accidents.

More @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/3650026.stm