Road Safety Week organised by ‘Brake’ (a road safety charity) starts from November 19th and runs through to November 25th, 2018. It’s the biggest annual road safety awareness event in the UK and reaches out to remind people of road safety and potentially preventing many accidents.
Lots of organisations, like the motor trade, schools and communities take part by providing road safety demonstrations, events, awareness videos and talks based around the theme of the year. During road safety week police will often carry out roadside checks on the safety of new and used cars so they can offer advice to drivers. Police also run speed checks to remind the general public of how dangerous speeding is and why it’s one of the biggest causes of road accidents, which we also know can have a big impact on a vehicle insurance policy.
Schools taking part in road safety week will teach children the highway code covering the crossing of roads safely, cycling proficiency tests and the importance of wearing safety items, like helmets and high visibility when cycling.
New research has highlighted how big the risk factor is between getting on a bike; than climbing into a vehicle. ‘Brake’ revealed that cyclists and motorcyclists are 63 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured when out on the road.
To help reduce casualties, part of 2018 Road Safety Week Campaign Brake launched is called “bike smart”, encouraging motorists to be more aware of cyclists and motorcyclists. “The speeds motorcycles can travel are equal to those of cars and yet motorcycle riders do not have equal protection in the event of a crash” Brake said. The charity advises that drivers should adopt a variety of measures to keep bikers safe, including giving cyclists more space when overtaking, ‘Brake’ recommends car users should leave riders a 150-centimetre gap and adopting the ‘Dutch reach’ technique when opening a car door.
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But the charity states it’s not just the responsibility of drivers. Bike users and motorcyclists can also play their own part by using the correct safety equipment, riding safely and following the rules of the road. Policy decision makers are also implored to make roads safer for cyclists with new infrastructure and the use of the new technologies.
Brake’s campaigns director Joshua Harris said: “Raising awareness about the safety of those on two wheels, who face much higher risk of death and serious injury than those in cars, is absolutely vital. With one bike rider being killed or seriously injured every hour in Britain, there is no better time for us all to be more ‘Bike Smart’.”
If you are interested in the campaign and would like to support ‘Brake’, you can register with the charity and run a road safety event in the future with their support packs, for more information visit: http://www.brake.org.uk/
