Save lives – pprevent accidents

Protect vulnerable

Road safety charity Brake is calling on all road users to look out for each other to help stop the five deaths and 61 serious injuries that happen every day on UK roads - and particularly to protect people on foot and bike.

The call comes at the start of Road Safety Week, coordinated by Brake, during which police across the country will be stepping up traffic enforcement to deter and catch drivers putting others at risk.

As part of the campaign, Brake a n d p a r t n e r s R SA and Specsavers, have reveale d statistics s h ow i n g s h o c k i n g numbers of UK drivers risking lives by flouting traffic laws.

They show t hat almost one million fixed penalty notices were issued for careless driving and speeding o f f e n c e s l a s t ye a r –almost two a minute. Some 950,505 were for speeding and 17,483 for careless driving.

Results of Brake’s survey of 5,000 primary schoolchildren show that two thirds think roads in their area can be dangerous for walking and cycling, while two in five say they have been hit or nearly hit by a vehicle while on foot or bike.

The charity is calling on all drivers to slow down to 20mph in communities, look longer and take it slow at junctions and bends, giving people plenty of room and consideration.

B r a k e ’s d e p u t y chief executive Julie Townsend said: “When d r i v e r s u s e ro a d s without care for others the consequences can be tragic and horrific.

“At Brake we witness t h e s u f f e r i ng t hat results, daily, through our work supporting people affected by road death and injury. Protect each other.”