Road Safety Week: supporting safe roads for all
UKROEd is joining road safety organisations across the UKL to encourag every road user to get involved in Road Safety Week (14 – 20 November).
The theme for Road Safety Week, organised by the road safety charity Brake, is ‘safe roads for all’, something fully supported by GEM, with opportunities for everyone to reflect on how they use the roads, and what they can do to reduce risk.
A UKROEd spokesperson said: “In line with the call to action from Brake, we encourage individuals to pledge to use roads safely, minimise vehicle use and shout out for safe system solutions.
“Schools in turn can help young people step up and learn how to create a safe and healthy future and shout out for change.
“Organisations can step up their policies and procedures to ensure they choose safe systems solutions. Emergency service professionals can step up to highlight their vital role in helping keep us safe. Policymakers can step up by developing and mandating safe systems solutions.
“We urge everyone to pledge their support for Road Safety Week, and make an effort to reduce risk and improve safety on their journeys.
“We’re particularly keen to encourage drivers to avoid competition on journeys. If we resist the temptation to be competitive, we’re removing a significant cause of most collisions, and in so doing will be reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads.”
Five simple tips are offered, each designed for drivers to adopt immediately. The result will be safer road journeys for everyone:
- Think about how you can use roads safely on every journey – to protect yourself and other road users.
- Observe speed limits. In particular, respect 20mph zones and play your part in making communities safer.
- Banish distractions. Switch your mobile phone off and lock it in the boot before a journey. If you need to check messages, then pull over and stop somewhere safe.
- Take it easy on bends and country lanes, and always make sure you can stop on your side of the road in the distance you can see to be clear ahead.
- Don’t treat a road journey as a race or a contest. Focus on arriving safely and in a calm frame of mind. (tips from GEM Motoring Assist)
Road Safety Week (roadsafetyweek.org.uk) is co-ordinated by Brake and supported by a wide cross-section of employers and individuals. As a long-established and energetic road safety campaigning organisation, GEM Motoring Assist is pleased to play its part in raising awareness of road safety issues, not only among its 70,000 members but across the wider community.
