15 December 2006

RSOs issue vehicle maintenance warning

Road Safety Officers are warning all motorists about the potentially fatal dangers of not maintaining their vehicles particularly with the sudden change to bad weather.

LARSOA, the Local Authority Road Safety Officers' Association, is concerned that an exceptionally warm summer and mild autumn may have lulled drivers into a false sense of security.

Recent heavy rain and gale force winds have caused spates of collisions all over the country and the Association urges road users to take extra care over the coming months.

Simon Ettinghausen, Chair of LARSOA, says: "Road users have to pay attention to the changing conditions and ensure their vehicles are maintained correctly. If a car, van or lorry has a faulty light, for example, not only is it more difficult for the driver to see what is ahead during the hours of darkness or at times of poor visibility, but also other drivers may mistake the vehicle for something it is not, such as a motorcycle, and the risk of a crash is therefore increased."

Simon adds: "Failing to keep lights properly maintained also provides the police with a reason to stop a vehicle and require the driver to provide a specimen of breath and this is something all drivers need to be aware of as we approach the Christmas and New Year period.

"Now the impact of the clocks going back is being felt and it gets dark during mid-afternoon when the weather is bad, more than any other time, it is essential that people take extra care on the roads, maintaining their vehicles at regular intervals and adjusting their driving to the conditions."

The following are just a few tips that could help save lives:

• Ensure all vehicle lights and wipers are in good working order
• Keep lights, windows and mirrors clean and free from ice and snow
• Add antifreeze to the radiator and winter additive to the windscreen washer bottles
• Check that tyres have plenty of tread depth and are maintained at the correct pressure
• Adjust your driving to the conditions as hail, heavy snow and rain will reduce visibility and it can take ten times longer to stop in icy conditions than on a dry road.

For further winter driving tips, motorists can visit the Department for Transport THINK! Road Safety website at www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk

Ends.

For media enquiries please call Alison Ferst on 01287 610404 or 07779 435794.

ABOUT LARSOA

• LARSOA is a national road safety organisation representing road safety officers (RSOs) employed in local government across the UK.

• LARSOA represents 185 of the 200 eligible local authorities across the UK, assisting RSOs to fulfil their statutory role to reduce the number and severity of road casualties through education, training and publicity programmes.

• LARSOA publishes an up-to-date round-up of road safety news from across the UK on its website www.larsoa.org.uk .

• LARSOA also aims to influence national debate - government policy and action together with public opinion. The association works to achieve national recognition for road safety issues, commissions research into behaviour which contributes to road collisions and develops national road safety campaigns.

• The association assists in identifying achievable national targets to reduce the number of collisions on the country's roads.