Road Safety Week Kicks Off

This year’s Road Safety Week, run by charity Brake, started this Monday (21 November) and aims to raise awareness of a number of road safety issues, from speeding to drink driving.

One of the six elements that makes up this year’s campaign is sustainability, with the charity highlighting the need for more people to get out of their cars and walk, cycle or use public transport to get around.

Brake cited figures from a 2014 Public Health England report, which stated that an estimated 29,000 deaths in the UK each year are caused by particulate matter pollution.

However, anyone planning to switch to two wheels or walking for their commute, needs to think about their safety too, especially with the mornings and evenings getting darker as we move into December.

Investing in high visibility clothing is a must to make sure all other road users can see you, no matter what time of day you’re travelling.

When the clocks went back at the end of October, IAM Roadsmart released advice for motorists to help them stay safe and keep other road users safe.

Among the tips were to take extra care when looking for vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians, to be particularly mindful of people crossing and walking along streets around schools at drop off and pick up times, and making sure that your headlights are working.

Brake has been organising events around Road Safety Week since 1997, with this year’s event running until 27 November.