Fire crews engage young people in Road Awareness Week
Fire and rescue services across the country will be taking part in National Road Safety Week from 6-12 May.
Crews will be engaging with people in their local area, passing on key road safety messages with the aim of trying to reduce the number of children and young people killed or seriously injured on our roads.
Dave Etheridge, CFOA Lead for Road Safety said: “I am delighted that this year’s road safety activity will be focused across the week of 6-12 May. By working with our partners, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and Road Safety Great Britain (RSGB), we hope to reach an even greater number of people with our key messages. I encourage all fire and rescue services to get involved throughout the week to educate drivers and pedestrians in their communities.
“In the UK at the moment, one in eight licence holders are aged 25 or under, yet one in three drivers who die on the roads is under 25. Its statistics like this that we are working hard to reduce, he added.”
The key messages fire and rescue services will be promoting are:
- Let’s look out for each other (young children and pedestrians)
- Don’t let Distraction lead to Destruction (young drivers and the impact on pedestrians)
Crews will be at local shops, supermarkets / shopping centre car parks, town centres, petrol stations, motorway services, schools and hospitals throughout the week. To see where your local fire and rescue service and road safety partnership teams will be, please visit the CFOA website: http://www.cfoa.org.uk/15161
ACPO lead for roads policing, Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, said: “As technology has advanced we have seen a change in the behaviour of some drivers who are allowing themselves to become distracted and putting themselves and others at risk. The police will take positive action where people drive and use mobile phones, or other technology, inappropriately. While a phone call may be important for a few minutes, killing or seriously injuring you or a member of the public has life changing consequences.
“In 2011 there were 453 pedestrian deaths, which was nearly a quarter of all fatalities involving road accidents. The number of people seriously injured during the 2010/2011 period was nearly 5,500. While we are making progress in preventing the number of children being killed or seriously injured, with the 2011 figures 53 per cent lower than the average from 2005 to 2009, we cannot be complacent.
“This campaign is very relevant and we hope people will listen to us now, instead of having to face the reality of police arriving after an incident.”
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service will be conducting some pedestrian and cycle safety for primary school age groups using a lorry to complete blind spot education in Cullompton, and attending a motorcycle festival in Paignton.
The Service will also promote the award-winning, multi-agency campaign The Honest Truth through the press and media for young drivers with a key theme for each day of the week.
http://www.thehonesttruth.co.uk
