Huge lorries usually thunder through the ancient streets of Chideock, snorting out pollution and shaking the centuries-old homes to their foundations. But at the touch of a button, one man has managed to bring them to a screeching halt. Tony Fuller, 77, is doing his best to disrupt the heavy traffic that he says blights his village on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. As part of his campaign for a bypass, the retired Rolls-Royce engineer has organised a group of residents to gather at a newly installed pedestrian crossing – and take it in turns to push the button. Each time the traffic lights go red, they slowly walk across the busy A35 wielding banners explaining their protest. And when the lights turn green, they push the button and do it all over again. After their first 45-minute spell, gridlock ensued, and motorists were left stuck in up to seven miles of tailbacks. Yesterday Mr Fuller said: ‘I’ve been on the receiving end of one or two choice words and had a few one-finger salutes, but equally quite a few people toot their horns and give us the thumbs up. ‘To any motorist who has been inconvenienced for a few minutes in a queue of traffic I would say, I’m inconvenienced 24/7. ‘What we have here is a country road that’s never grown up. It’s like living with a motorway 6ft from your front door, but not as safe as if it was a motorway because there are no barriers. It’s horrendous.’ He says lorry drivers are using the road as ‘rat run’ between Plymouth and Southampton and blames satellite navigation systems that direct trucks along the A35 as an alternative to the A303. More
(AD Comments ~ Traffic has to flow somewhere, but more needs to be done to stop huge volumes of larger vehicles pounding through smaller villages.)
Language campaigners said today too many pointless signs were springing up next to Britain’s roads. The Plain English Campaign (PEC) – which aims to reduce gobbledegook – said roadsides were filling up with “too much information about nothing”. Officials said drivers were being distracted and money wasted. The group made its complaints as the Highways Agency, a Government agency which manages major roads, said it had decided against planting signs saying “Highways Agency” next to motorways across the country – after spending £76,000 of taxpayers’ money on a “pilot project” in the north west of England. A Highways Agency spokesman said 23 “Highways Agency” signs had been installed alongside the M6 and 11 alongside the A66 in 2005 as part of an experiment. “Police constantly tell motorists not to use mobiles or eat or drink when driving but to concentrate on driving,” said a PEC spokesman. “Yet at the same time there seem to be more and more signs springing up to distract motorists. More
(AD Thoughts ~ How many times do we drive down roads, when sign after sign tells us very little, but satisfying some petty bureaucracy? Then to arrive at a junction when helpful lane advice or directions are sadly lacking when needed!)
A short film illustrating the dangers young drivers face when subject to peer pressure has gone live on the web. The film is the next stage of the Drive SMART initiative, launched by Surrey County Council and Surrey Police to tackle anti-social driving. The film shows how easy it is for a young driver, coerced by friends, to take unnecessary risks at dangerous speeds on the road – with devastating consequences. In a clear challenge to young drivers it asks: ‘Can you stand up to your mates?’ and urges them to ‘Be strong’. Dr Andrew Povey, leader of Surrey County Council, said: “Young drivers are particularly vulnerable on the road and putting a film about road safety on the internet is one way of encouraging them to take more care. More
(AD Comment ~ Peer pressure on young drivers is a major cause of road crashes. Education in this area is very important and the way forward in reducing road deaths.)
Road safety charity Brake has renewed its call for a specific charge of drug-driving in the wake of the “shockingly low” conviction rates revealed in new crime figures. It is demanding that the Government makes it an offence to drive with illegal drugs in the body, allowing the police and the justice system to effectively target the “scourge” of drug-driving – something it says may now be as significant as alcohol-related motoring offences. According to the statistics from the Ministry of Justice there were 1,644 convictions in England and Wales for drug-related motoring offences in 2008. This compares to 71,449 for drink-related offences – the vast majority of which relate to the specific charge of ‘driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit’, for which there is no drug-driving equivalent. Although drug-driving is illegal, there are no prescribed ‘limits’, meaning the prosecution must prove that a motorist was ‘unfit to drive’ through the use of drugs. Brake argues that this is more difficult than being able to refer to the “simple statistical fact” that a test would offer. It says that the Government must approve kits that would enable police to carry out roadside tests on motorists suspected of drug-driving. More
(AD Suggests ~ We are all aware of the measures used to takle drink driving, now something needs to be put in place to educate against drug-driving. To back this up new laws/guidlines need to be put in place, and enforced, to make the roads a safer place)
Avon and Somerset Police have unveiled their new weapon against drink driving – a simulator which shows what effect alcohol has on your driving skill. Over Christmas, the police caught more than 200 people who had been drinking. Now they’re stepping up their efforts to target young people in particular. More
(AD Suggests ~ More education is required to help solve this problem, something like this will surely make a benefit.)
A hard-hitting THINK! campaign reminding drivers of the potentially fatal consequences of not wearing a seat belt was launched today by Road Safety Minister Paul Clark. The £1.3 million campaign shows that if you have a crash without wearing a seat belt you actually experience three crashes, even at everyday speeds like 30mph. First, your car crashes and stops. Second – because there’s nothing to stop you moving – your body carries on and hits the inside of the car. Third, you stop but your internal organs keep moving, hitting the inside of your body and can rupture under the force of the impact. Paul Clark said: “If you are involved in an accident while not wearing a seat belt then your body experiences a series of three collisions damaging vital internal organs. This campaign reminds drivers that – no matter how short their journey or how slowly they are driving – they are risking their life if they set off without putting their seat belt on. “I hope this campaign will help everyone realise that they need to belt up every time they get in a car.” You are twice as likely to die in a crash if you are not wearing a seat belt and about one life could be saved in Britain each day if everyone always wore a belt. The THINK! campaign – which includes television, radio, cinema, and outdoor advertising – is based on detailed research into people’s seat belt wearing habits which showed that people are less likely to wear seat beats on low speed, short journeys on familiar roads, even though they are still risking their lives in these cases. The advert is so realistic and graphic it can only be shown after 9pm. An edited version will be used for earlier showings – describing but not showing the damage to internal organs. More
(AD Suggests ~ Something needs to be done to educate those who do not wear their belts. Everyone needs to remember that seat belts are there to keep their users alive, and not just there to be ignored.)
Police arrested more than 7500 people in the month-long blitz on drunk drivers over the Christmas period, ACPO lead for Roads Policing Chief Constable Mick Giannasi revealed today. “More drivers than ever before were breath tested over the holiday period – 223,423 – and despite all the messages that drinking and driving is dangerous and illegal, some people still do not get the point,” Chief Constable Giannasi said. “Three percent of those drivers breath tested were arrested and while that fell from the previous year it means that despite all the messages about the dangers of drinking and driving there were still 7638 drivers on our roads posing a threat to themselves and others and that is totally unacceptable.” The campaign ran from 1 December to 1 January with 43 forces throughout England and Wales testing drivers at all times of the day and night. The numbers of drivers breath tested increased by 21.82 on the previous year while the number of arrests dropped by 16.51 percent. “Despite our concerns about the small minority who continue to drink and drive, we are encouraged by the decreases in the statistics in most areas. But the end of the campaign definitely does not mean the end of police vigilance to catch those who continue to flout the law however and drink and drive.” More
(AD Comments ~ Working the figures out, it shows that 3.4% are unfit for the roads, with presumably many more not caught!)
The Sussex Safer Roads Partnership has launched a new campaign addressing the issue of seat belt use. ‘Embrace Life’ takes what the Partnership calls a ‘very different approach to conventional road safety advertising’, by focusing on positive imaging and messages rather than the direct consequences of a collision. Neil Hopkins, communications manager, says: “Embrace Life deals with the non-wearing of seatbelts by drivers and passengers, which continues to be an issue in Sussex and across the United Kingdom and EU, despite many years of high profile campaigning. “Sussex Police stop thousands of drivers every year for failing to restrain themselves or their passengers properly. “Our cinema advert has provoked a strong emotional response in all who have seen it. We have achieved this through a strong emphasis on positive messaging and imagery, rather than relying on shock tactics.” More
(AD Comments ~ Education will only encourage more to wear their seatbelts. Seems strange that many still don`t use seatbelts, when they are there to keep the wearer alive!)
Drivers will be warned about the potential effects of medicines in a new THINK! campaign launched by Road Safety Minister Paul Clark today. One million leaflets will be distributed through 2,600 Boots stores while medicine bags will be labelled with stickers prompting drivers to check with their doctor or pharmacist that they are safe to drive while taking their medicines. This follows a major TV, radio and online campaign in August 2009 to target the irresponsible minority who drive while under the influence of illegal drugs. Paul Clark said: “We have already run a hard-hitting campaign to tackle those who drive after taking illegal drugs. But it is not just illegal drugs which can affect your driving. Some medicines may cause drowsiness and impair judgement, increasing the risk of an accident. More
(AD Comments ~ Many do not realise how much of an impairment some medicines can be, hopefully more people can become aware, and safer)
A road safety campaign for school children has been launched in Surrey by motor racing star Lewis Hamilton. The educational scheme for pupils aged 14 to 18 will offer hands-on driving experience and training. Pupils will also have discussions about the responsibilities of being not only a driver, but also a passenger and a pedestrian. It was developed by council, fire and police officers, with the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy in Weybridge. Former Formula One world champion Hamilton launched the scheme on Sunday. He said “It’s a great thing for young kids to come here and at least raise awareness.” And he added: “Hopefully, they’ll come here and they’ll walk away with a little bit more knowledge which will equip them even better for when they take their own driving lessons and tests.” County council leader Andrew Povey said: “School children are the drivers of the future so it is vital we educate them now about the importance of responsible driving.” More
(AD Remarks ~ With the formula one hero backing the scheme will be more succuessful, lets hope the message is taken on board by the youngsters)
And deputy chief constable for North Yorkshire Police Adam Briggs said it was “only a matter of time” before lawbreakers were caught and punished. Last year, the one-month campaign saw officers across England and Wales stop 183,397 drivers – a figure which the force is determined to top in 2009. Mr Briggs, the national lead on road policing, also warned Christmas partygoers to think before driving the morning after a big night out. He said: “Many people think they have to be involved in a collision or commit an offence to be stopped and breathalysed. This is not the case and our aim is to test more drivers than ever before during this campaign.” The Christmas campaign, in which drivers will be tested for alcohol and illegal drugs, runs throughout December until January 1. More
(AD Remarks ~ We need to educate more to make drivers understand the dangers of drink driving, rather than to try to punish after the event, and hopefully before any damage is done)
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