Road traffic crashes kill nearly 1.3 million people every year and injure or disable as many as 50 million more. They are the leading cause of death among young people aged 15–29 years.
In October 2005, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution which calls for governments to mark the third Sunday in November each year as World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
Road Safety in East Lothian
There is one full time Road Safety Officer in East Lothian.
The Road Safety Officer’s efforts are statistically led and the key areas of concern are
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Young Drivers |
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Passengers |
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Pedestrians |
Young Drivers
In East Lothian the casualty age group most prominent in terms of injuries is the 16 – 25 year age group.
As a result of these statistics and to try to prevent further casualties, an educational event called 2mro’s Driver takes place annually. Further school presentations to support this event are available on request by the schools. Road Safety resources “Your Call” and “Crash Magnets” are also available in secondary schools for use by teaching staff as part of the Curriculum for Excellence. They are designed to develop safe attitudes towards driving and general road use and can be used for pupils from S1 – S6. Road Safety Officers also offer safer driving presentations to college and university students.
Road Safety Officers also promote safe driving to newly qualified young drivers through their Young Driver Challenge event.
They will also promote safer driving to the general public through national and local campaigns. They also offer support and advice to companies on the management of occupational road risk.
For further information on driver safety, please click on the following links:
Speed
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www.road-safety.org.uk/driving/speeding/ www.lbsafetycameras.co.uk/ |
Drink / Drug Driving
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www.road-safety.org.uk/driving/drink-driving-and-drug-driving/ |
Mobile Phones
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http://think.direct.gov.uk/mobile-phones.html |
Seatbelts
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/www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Roadsafetyadvice/DG_4022064 |
Advanced Driving
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www.roadar.org/ |
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www.iam.org.uk/ |
Passengers
Statistics have identified that there is a problem with passenger safety whilst driving in cars, specifically young passengers travelling with young drivers. Incidents occur due to non-compliance with seatbelt usage, peer pressure and risk taking.
Road Safety Officers address this issue through the initiatives and events mentioned above for young drivers. Awareness is also raised through supporting local and national campaigns.
Statistics have also identified that there is a problem with all passenger safety whilst travelling in cars or buses, due to lack of seatbelt wearing or when passengers alight from buses.
Road Safety Officers address these issues through supporting local campaigns, P7 transition inputs and organising and running local in-car safety clinics.
For more information on passenger safety, please click on the following links:
Child Car Seats
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www.protectchild.co.uk/inc |
Pedestrians
Statistics show that both child and adult pedestrians feature in road accidents.
Road Safety Officers offer educational advice and support to staff, parents and pupils throughout the child’s school life. Specific inputs with child pedestrians are offered at key stages such as:
- Traffic Trails aimed at P3 pupils.
- Junior Road Safety Officers (JRSOs) – they cascade Road Safety information to the pupils, parents and staff in the school through notice boards, competitions and assemblies. JRSOs are normally P6 or P7 pupils.
- Transition inputs aimed at P7 pupils.
As adult pedestrians are more difficult to reach, Road Safety Officers will identify opportunities to target this group through publicity campaigns, educational inputs and cascading of information from JRSOs and school pupils home to parents and grandparents. Road Safety Officers also offer inputs and advice at parents information evenings in schools and nurseries.
For more information on pedestrian safety, click on the following links:
Road Safety Scotland
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www.road-safety.org.uk |
Department for Transport
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www.think.direct.gov.uk |
