Road Safety Week 2020

Now that we find ourselves a few weeks into a new national lockdown, we are once again no longer having to rely on commuting to work in cars. Due to these emptier roads, it seems those of us not impacted by the virus are braving the cold and walking and cycling more often.

At the height of the pandemic we saw a minority of opportunistic people using the empty roads as an excuse to drive at excessive speeds. Now that we have entered a second lockdown and the roads are once again emptying, we expect this behaviour to reappear.

Road Safety Week, founded in 1997 and run between 16-22 November by the road safety charity Brake, is an opportunity for us to reflect and educate ourselves on the consequences of dangerous driving. Each year Brake choose a different theme of road safety to focus on. For 2020 they have appropriately chosen the slogan “NO NEED FOR SPEED”. In a crash, 1 mph can mean the difference between life and death and Brake’s vision is a world where everyone moves in a safe and healthy way where there is no need for vehicles to speed. Tragically, every 24 seconds someone is killed on a road and 1 in 4 are caused by excessive speed leading to more than 1.3 million people to die every year.

Road Safety Week encourages those opportunists to abide by the legal speed limit to keep themselves and others safe. As our contribution to Road Safety Week, we at Wolferstans are encouraging motorists to be especially careful of their speed due to a new wave of people walking and cycling.

You can mitigate road traffic accidents caused by those going at excessive speed by remembering that no matter what activity you are doing, you plan your route and avoid cycling and walking near or on busier roads. However, if you absolutely must, then you should be extra wary of any vehicles and always follow the highway code. Try to avoid listening to music whilst you walk or ride as this can hinder your ability to react to any potential dangers.

At the time of writing, the current lockdown rules allow for you to cycle and walk either alone or with members of your household (unless you are self-isolating). It is important that when you do wish to walk and cycle for your health, fitness and well-being that you take into consideration the current government guidance that can be found here.

Road Safety Week is a time to encourage individuals to learn what a safe speed is, speak with families and friends who may travel too fast and actively take appropriate steps to help keep people safe. By being safe both outside and inside a vehicle, we can help reduce the number of incidents caused by excessive speed.