25 October 2006

MOTORISTS WARNED TO TAKE CARE ON DARK EVENINGS

This weekend the clocks will be turned back an hour signalling the end of British Summertime and motorists are being warned to take extra care as the number of road collisions traditionally rises sharply in November.

LARSOA, (Local Authority Road Safety Officers' Association) is urging motorists to prepare for the extra hour of darkness and to be aware of the potentially fatal dangers of not maintaining their vehicles in the winter months.

David Frost from LARSOA, explains: "People are generally more fatigued in the evening rush hour as they drive home from work but the extra hour of darkness means they have to be fully alert.

"If a car 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 other drivers may mistake the vehicle for something it is not, such as a motorcycle, and the risk of a collision is therefore increased."

He adds: "It can be more difficult to see pedestrians also, and drivers need to be very aware of vulnerable groups such as the elderly or children returning home from school, particularly after the half term holiday. A faulty light may mean they don't see an approaching vehicle and step out into the road in front of it."

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 condensation
• Add anti-freeze to the radiator and winter additive to the windscreen and washer bottles
• Check tyres have plenty of tread depth and are maintained at the correct pressure
• Adjust your driving to the conditions as bad weather can reduce visibility and braking distances will significantly increase.

David adds: "Stopping the practice of changing the clocks back an hour at the end of October could save around 450 deaths and serious injuries on the roads. Recent government research shows that every autumn the road casualty rate rises especially for the most vulnerable road users such as children, pedestrians and cyclists.*

"But until the government can be persuaded to make this life-saving change, it is essential people take extra care on the roads, maintaining their vehicles at regular intervals and adjusting their driving to the conditions."

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.