Road Safety Week 2020

Oct 19, 2020Blog, Fleet Blog

This November, Brake is calling for companies, organisations, schools and individuals to get involved in Road Safety Week to help raise awareness about the need to reduce speed to help make our roads safer to help save lives.

Brake is a road safety charity that supports people affected by road crashes and campaigns for safe and healthy mobility for all. At Brake we believe that everyone has the right to make safe and healthy journeys. For more about our work, visit the Brake websitewww.brake.org.uk.

Brake founded Road Safety Week in 1997 as an annual event to raise awareness about road safety and promote steps that everyone can take to stop needless deaths and injuries throughout the year.  The event continues to go from strength to strength, over 20 years later.  Last year, around 8,000 educators, community groups, companies and road safety professionals registered for Road Safety Week 2019, helping over two million people get involved with the project.

All sorts of people get involved – nurseries, schools, youth clubs, army bases, community campaigners, employers, sports clubs, fire officers, police services, local authorities, paramedics, driving instructors …. and we would love you to join forces with us and make a difference to road safety in your area!

Each year, Brake selects a different theme for the Week and in 2020 we’ll be focusing on speed.  Why?  Because when it comes to road safety, it’s simple: speed matters.

In a crash, 1mph can mean the difference between life and death, but we know that people still regularly break speed limits or travel too fast for the conditions of the road. With someone injured on a UK road every four minutes, and vehicle speed playing a part in every crash, it’s time to come together to say that there is No Need to Speed.

This Road Safety Week (16–22 November) Brake will be sharing the what, the why, and the where of speed, because whether you’re walking to school, riding on a country road or driving for work, the speed of traffic matters to your safety.

The formula is simple: the higher the speed, the longer the stopping distance, the harder the crash and the greater the risk of death and injury. No Need to Speed is a reminder to everyone of how the speed they travel affects other people.

Every time we’re on the road we need to consider what speed is appropriate to keep ourselves and others safe. Everyone knows that roads have speed limits, but do we understand what appropriate speed is, what leads some people to travel too fast, and what are the solutions that can make sure people move at safe speeds?  By getting involved in Road Safety Week you’ll be able to access information to help keep yourself and your family, friends and colleagues safer.

Brake believes that alongside saving lives, speed also matters for our health and wellbeing.

Slower traffic can help make places feel more welcoming for the people who live, work and play in them. This can mean more people choosing to walk and cycle to get around and more people interacting with each other on the street, creating fitter, healthier and happier communities. During Road Safety Week, we want everyone to learn that there is No Need to Speed and to find out just why speed matters for safe and healthy journeys.

There are so many different ways that you can exploring getting involved in Road Safety Week this November.  For example,

  • Individuals can learn what a safe speed is, speak with families and friends who may travel too fast and choose technologies, or modes, which help keep people safe.
  • Schools can help young people learn how the streets around their homes and schools can have safer speeds and shout out for change.
  • Organisations can step up their policies and procedures to ensure that their employees travel at safe speeds and understand why this is so important.
  • Emergency service professionals can enforce speed limits and share their experiences of the impact of travelling too fast.
  • Decision-makers can consider what changes can be made to our road environment to encourage safe speeds and healthy streets.

If you’re interested in taking part in this year’s Road Safety Week, simply visit our website www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk.  On the site you’ll find lots of ideas and opportunities to get involved.  You’ll also be able to sign up to receive a free action pack.  The pack will include lots of activities and resources you can use to plan your activities.

If you need any help in the run up to the week, please contact Brake’s friendly team coordinating Road Safety Week by emailing [email protected].

Author Bio.

Katie Shephard has been working at Brake, the road safety charity, for more than 13 years.  She predominantly works with companies who are dedicated to road safety and who support Brake to achieve its vision of zero deaths on the road.  Katie is passionate about raising awareness about making the roads safer and supporting people affected by road crashes.