Road Safety Week 2008

Every day on UK roads, eight people are killed and ten times as many are seriously injured. Brake, the road safety charity, is calling on police forces to help save lives and support people affected by road crashes, by taking part in National Road Safety Week (10-16 November 2008), coordinated by Brake.

Police forces witness first-hand the terrible aftermath of road crashes, making them extremely well placed to communicate powerful messages about the importance of using roads safely and, in particular, driving safely. Many forces already run road safety initiatives, so Road Safety Week is an ideal time to tie in these initiatives to a national event; gaining valuable local media coverage and raising funds for Brake at the same time.

An ACPO Roads Policing spokesman says: "ACPO encourages all police forces to get involved in national Road Safety Week and take advantage of the fantastic opportunities it brings to promote road safety and educate the public about the dangers people face everyday on our roads. Road Safety Week provides ideal opportunities for forces to get media coverage for the work they do year round to enforce traffic laws and link up with local communities in initiatives aimed at stopping death and injury on local roads."

Go the emergency services section at: www.roadsafetyweek.org, to find easy steps on how forces can get involved in the Week. This includes heightened enforcement checks; work with the media and ideas for fundraising 'socials'.

Alan Jones, chairman of the national roads policing group, from the Police Federation of England and Wales says: "Our members work at the sharp end of road crashes. They are often first on the scene and have to deal with the horrific aftermath of serious road crashes day in, day out. We are appalled at the level of death and injury to so many people each year, much of which is preventable, with a little more care and thought towards our fellow road users. Perhaps the worst task for Police Officers is delivering terrible news to bereaved families of crash victims.

The Police Federation urges all of our members to work with Brake year-round to endorse essential safety messages that might stop people being so tragically hurt or killed on the roads. Road Safety Week gives us a fantastic opportunity to shout loud and proud about improving behaviour and standards on our roads, thereby getting life-saving messages across to those most at risk of potential harm in our communities."

Whatever plans police forces make for Road Safety Week, don't forget to tell Brake about them! Email: roadsafetyweek@brake.org.uk, or call 01484 559909. This helps Brake to assess the impact of the week and levels of local community involvement. Brake may also be able to offer additional support with your initiative, such as helping you achieve media coverage.