To mark this year’s Road Safety Week, Avon Fire & Rescue Service is joining with road safety professionals and its local partners to encourage people to play their part to make journeys safer.
Road Safety Week, which is coordinated by the charity Brake, runs until 21st November and is an annual occasion to focus on how people can take action and collectively improve the safety of the roads for all who use them.
Excessive speed contributes to a significant number of fatal road traffic collisions attended by Avon Fire & Rescue, and according to Brake’s figures, someone is injured on a UK road every four minutes, with vehicle speed playing a part in every crash.
Meghann Elvin, Risk Reduction Manager and Road Safety Lead at AF&RS, said: “Every year, as a Service, we attend hundreds of road traffic collisions, rescuing drivers and their passengers and providing emergency first aid and trauma care.
“Of the collisions we attend, sadly speeding often plays a significant part and that’s why we’re joining this year’s Road Safety Week campaign to encourage our communities to drive safely, follow speed limits and reduce risks on our roads.
“Road traffic collisions can be devastating, not only to those directly involved in the incident but also to their friends and loved ones, there is no need to speed.”
The following tips and advice have been offered to help improve road safety:
- Always keep to the speed limit and slow down near to schools and colleges.
- Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you – count two seconds between you and them as this is your braking space in a crisis and double this distance in wet conditions.
- Only overtake on a single carriageway road if it is safe to do so, within the speed limit.
- Stay in the left hand lane on motorways and dual carriageways, unless overtaking.
- Always approach bends with caution, as you never know what is around the corner.
- Make sure you understand the rules for sections of smart motorways, including lane closures (indicated by red X’s), dynamic use of the hard shoulder and variable speed limits.
For more information and advice on how to keep local roads safe, visit: www.avonfire.gov.uk/safety-advice/road-safety.