Four more projects have been awarded funding by the Road Safety Trust to explore changing road use and emerging road safety issues as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The funding has been awarded by the Trust – the largest independent road safety grant giver in the UK – through its Small Grants Plus Programme.
In total, eight organisations have benefited from a share of £300k, the first tranche of which were announced in March.
Organisations to have received funding include charities, local authorities, and a community group, and have been awarded between £20k and £50k, respectively.
Among the four recipients to be announced on 29 April is Birmingham City Council, which is piloting culturally tailored messaging to encourage seat belt usage among the city’s Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities.
If successful, partners have committed to roll out a campaign in 2022.
Meanwhile, the St. Michael’s and Lark Lane Community Centre’s Slo-Mo 4K Road Safety Project will run a pilot scheme to reduce road traffic incidents involving school children and to improve traffic management in the vicinity of schools.
Life-size high-definition vinyl cut outs of children will be placed near junctions with drivers unable to identify from a distance as to whether it is a real child or not. Change in road safety behaviour and perceptions of safety will be monitored at numerous points over the course of the project.
Another local authority to benefit is Norfolk County Council, which is providing training to primary school staff to produce and deliver road safety education.
And finally, Surrey County Council is researching the impact of reducing the speed limit on rural roads. Speed limits in east Surrey have already been reduced from the national speed limit to 40/50mph, however west Surrey still has the national speed limit.
The research will look to understand the impact widespread rural speed limit reductions have on safety and perceptions of safety amongst those using the roads.
Sally Lines, chief executive of the Road Safety Trust said: “We were really pleased to be able to open for applications in September 2020 following the cancellation of our main theme grant round earlier in the year because of Covid-19.
“The Small Grants Plus Programme allowed us to provide funding to help offer road safety solutions resulting from the pandemic.
“We had 52 applications for this round of funding, and through careful assessment we have chosen eight projects that will help us achieve our vision of zero deaths and serious injuries on UK roads.”
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