A roundup of all the other latest road safety related news from December 2016.
WEDNESDAY 21 DECEMBER
21 Dec: 15.00
20’s Plenty announces date of 2017 conference
20’s Plenty has announced that its 2017 conference, ’20’s Plenty for Healthier Places’, will take place on Wednesday 8 March, at Birmingham City Council’s banqueting suite.
Now in its 8th year, the event will focus on why and how best to implement and educate drivers on 20mph limits, in particular relation to creating a healthier public realm that feels safer, cleaner and friendlier for all.
Click here to find out more
TUESDAY 20 DECEMBER
20 Dec: 08.30
GEM explains what makes winter hazards dangerous
In a bid to encourage motorists to ensure they – and their vehicles – are ready for the potential challenges of driving in winter, GEM road safety officer Neil Worth has compiled a comprehensive line-up of common questions and answers relating to driving in heavy rain, snow, fog and ice.
Click here to find out more.
THURSDAY 15 DECEMBER
15 Dec: 13.30
400 miles of roadworks completed in time for Christmas holidays
Highways England will complete, or lift, 448 miles of roadworks – leaving 98% of its 9,534-mile network free of roadworks in time for the Christmas getaway.
In a press released issued on 12 December, the Government agency confirmed it is completing 407 and suspending 41miles of roadworks by 6am on Friday 23 December until Tuesday 3 January to help people get away this Christmas with as little disruption as possible.
Click here to find out more (including the results of a festive travel survey)
MONDAY 12 DECEMBER
12 Dec: 15.00
Crewe named ‘UK’s drink and drug drive capital’
New analysis by MoneySuperMarket has revealed that drivers in Crewe have the highest rate of drink or drug-driving convictions on their car insurance policies.
The analysis, published on 1 December, looked at 9.8m car insurance quotes over the last 12 months. It found that for the second year running that Crewe (CW) has the highest proportion of motorists with drink or drug-driving convictions (1.66 convictions per 1,000 drivers).
However, the overall rate of drink and drug-driving has fallen for the second year running, with the postcode with the highest rate of conviction tumbling from 1.74 per 1,000 in 2015, to 1.66 per 1,000 this year.
FRIDAY 09 DECEMBER
09 Dec: 11.30
Archive search unearths fascinating road safety films
A search prompted by Road Safety Week 2016 in November unearthed a number of fascinating road safety films that ‘focus on the capital’s chaotic roads and attempts to control them’.
The eight films, hosted in London’s Screen Archives (LSA), span the past 70 years.
They include an amateur film (pictured above) about a road safety campaign by the Bexley, Erith & Crayford Road Safety Committee (1962), an Enfield Council film aimed at schoolchildren (1987) and a film by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (1948).
Click here to find out more.
THURSDAY 08 DECEMBER
08 Dec: 14.00
New motorcycle registrations rise in November
New statistics released by the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) yesterday (7 Dec) show that the number of new motorcycles registered in the year ending November 2016 was 108,871, an 8.6% rise on the year ending November 2015.
Looking at the month of November alone, 7,038 new motorcycles were registered – 16.5% more than November 2015.
Click here to view the statistical release.
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08 Dec: 12.30
GEM issues medicines warning as cold and flu season arrives
GEM Motoring Assist is warning motorists about the dangerous effects medication can have on driving and has produced a free leaflet, ‘Don’t Motor on Meds’, offering advice on driving while taking prescription drugs.
The road safety organisation says some cold and flu treatments, painkillers and other drugs can cause drowsiness, reducing a driver’s ability to concentrate on the driving task. It adds that not only that, but driving under the influence of drugs, even some prescribed by a doctor, is a criminal offence.
Alongside the leaflet, which is free to download, GEM has funded a short video (below), which sets out how certain medicines can affect driving.
Neil Worth, GEM road safety officer, said: “You may not be aware that your driving can be compromised by medicinal drugs. Therefore you could be breaking the law without realising.
“So it’s very important to read labels and seek advice from healthcare professionals before driving. If you face a risk that your driving may be impaired, then either don’t drive or ask for a medicine that won’t cause drowsy side-effects.”
Click here to find out more
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08 Dec: 11.00
Senior police chiefs team up to highlight pitfalls of driving under the influence
The Police and Crime Comissioner for West Mercia, John Campion, has teamed up with temporary deputy chief constable Chris Singer from West Mercia Police to show just how dangerous it is to drive under the influence of drink or drugs.
As part of a local drink-drive campaign, the pair will visit Telford Shopping Centre tomorrow (9 Dec) to take on a driving simulator.
Organised by the TTC Group, Members of the public are invited to join them in safely experiencing “the illusion” as part of a pre Christmas don’t drink and drive message.
Click here to find out more about the event and campaign.
WEDNESDAY 08 DECEMBER
07 Dec: 14.15
Brake announces date of 2017 Fleet Safety Awards
Brake has announced the date of the 2017 Fleet Safety Awards, which recognise the achievements of those working to help reduce the number of road crashes involving at-work drivers.
The winners will announced at a celebratory gala dinner in Birmingham on 28 September 2017.
Find out more about the awards
TUESDAY 06 DECEMBER
06 Dec: 16.30
Minibus licence loophole puts people at risk, councils say
A legal loophole that allows minibus drivers to operate without undergoing a criminal record check is putting passengers in danger, councils say.
Drivers of "public carriage vehicles", which seat 9-16 people, are not subject to a criminal check – unlike hackney carriage and private taxi drivers.
This has allowed "unscrupulous drivers" to work even if councils have banned them, according to the Local Government Association.
Click here to read more (via BBC News)
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06 Dec: 09.30
‘Zero will make you a hero’ – IAM RoadSmart
IAM RoadSmart has launched its Christmas anti-drink drive campaign, recommending that drivers should drink no alcohol at all if they are getting behind the wheel.
IAM RoadSmart says there is no true safe limit as to when a small amount of alcohol becomes risky, adding that alcohol affects different people in different ways depending on a variety of factors, not least age and build.
It also calls on groups of friends to reward the designated driver, who often feels excluded from a party of people when out on the town, with a free meal to make them feel a ‘hero of the road.’
01 Dec: 11.30
Mayo students win national award for road safety film
A group of girls from St Joseph’s Secondary School, Co. Mayo, have won a national competition for their video (featured) on improving the safety of vulnerable road users.
The National Saffron Science Competition asked entrants to create a three minute video around the question ‘How science and technology can make managing transportation safer?’
With 30 pedestrians having been killed on Irish roads so far in 2016, the girls focused on the vulnerable road users, developing a prototype which would see lights embedded in the ground at pedestrian crossings.
The competition was launched this year in an effort to encourage budding young film-makers to use their design and media skills and to increase awareness of how transportation may change in the future. It aims to promote the practical application of science in secondary schools.
The panel of judges from ITS Ireland and eFlow, sponsors of the competition, praised the quality of research, innovation and production of the winning entry.
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