We are proud to have been supporting Brake’s Road Safety Week this week. This is the biggest road safety event of the year and involves communities, organisations and schools the length and breadth of the country. The aim is to encourage grass roots action on road safety and raise awareness about what we can each do to make our roads safer.
We are proud to have been supporting Brake’s Road Safety Week this week. This is the biggest road safety event of the year and involves communities, organisations and schools the length and breadth of the country. The aim is to encourage grass roots action on road safety and raise awareness about what we can each do to make our roads safer.
Brake organises the event annually and provides resources for schools, communities and workplaces.
This year the campaign centres on driving less. With more cars on the road than ever it is important that we consider how much we use the roads and whether we could use alternative means of transport. With increased funding in public transport the need for the car should be decreasing.
However, we are all guilty of picking up those car keys when we don’t really need to. 4 in 10 journeys are less than 2 miles. Half of children are driven to school yet the average school run is only 1.5 miles. Many factors play a part in this. Many people feel safer in the car than walking and this is a particular reason for driving children to school. Cycle to work schemes and walking initiatives are picking up steam and will hopefully alleviate this worry.
We agree with Brake’s advice: work out how much money you'll save, calories you'll burn, and pollution you won't create, and build it into your routine. If you are driving, drive slowly and smoothly, and as Brake’s campaign, GO 20 promotes, drivers should reduce speed to 20mph in towns and villages, to protect people on foot and bike and reduce fuel use.
Brake also have a range of great resources available on topics such as speed, drink driving, distractions, and safe cycling. We deal with road traffic accidents on a daily basis and see the damage that they cause to people’s lives. We therefore urge everyone to think about leaving the car at home.
We wholeheartedly support Brake’s continued campaign for safer streets and active sustainable travel. Make every week road safety week and check out Brake’s resources.