This week is UK Road Safety Week – a week dedicated to national road safety activities. The theme for this year’s campaign is ‘Be Safe Out There’.
Key messages
A mixture of national and local events will take place throughout the week with targeted road safety messages for all types of road users, paying particular attention to:
- Young drivers
Young drivers are more likely to take risks while driving, such as using a mobile phone behind the wheel. Reaction times are around 50% slower for a driver using a mobile phone than without one.¹ - Cyclists
Accidents involving cyclists have increased over the past decade; those most at risk are men aged 16-49, cycling in urban areas at peak times. Wearing hi-visibility and reflective clothing increases a cyclist’s chance of being seen.² - Motorcyclists
Dehydration reduces alertness and concentration by up to 10%, thereby slowing down reaction time. A split second can be all that is needed to avoid an accident, so it is vital that motorcyclists stay hydrated.³ - Pedestrians
Over 25,000 pedestrians were injured in road accidents in 2012 with 420 fatalities. Three-fifths of these casualties are believed to be a result of the pedestrian failing to look properly with distractions such as listening to music, looking down at their mobile phone and talking on the phone putting them at risk.⁴
Did you know?
In 2012, over a quarter of deaths involving young people aged 15-19 were due to road collisions.⁵
The week launches with an event in York today that will focus on cycle safety. Robert Goodwill, road safety minister, Honor Byford, chair of Road Safety GB, and Dave Etheridge, CFOA lead for road safety will all be in attendance.
UK Road Safety Week is co-ordinated by the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) in partnership with the Highways Agency, DfT, ACPO, Brake, Road Safety GB, RoSPA, RoadSafe, TyreSafe, Living Streets, the RAC Foundation and the MAG Foundation.
Find out more:
Visit the CFOA’s website for more details.
