RoSPA in the Thirties
1930 A Scottish "Safety First " Council was formed and an office opened in Glasgow. The first safety week was held with the theme "On Guard Against Accidents". The safe driving competition now attracted 40,000 entrants including the staff of the GPO for the first time.
The Road Traffic Act included many of the ideas put forward by the Association to the Royal Commission on Transport. It also allowed the Ministry of Transport to fund road safety but it still declined to do so.
1931 British Movietone News made a film for safety week which was shown to ten million people. The Ministry of Transport began to issue the Highway Code. The Association was represented on the committee which compiled the code.
1932 A research department was formed to carry out analysis of all fatal road accidents based on Press reports of inquests. Consideration was given how to teach safe cycling to children. A home safety section was formed and a session at the safety congress devoted to the topic. An air safety section was also formed. The Association moved to new premises in Terminal House, Grosvenor Gardens, Westminster.
1933 The first home safety leaflet rapidly sold 10,000 copies and had to be reprinted. The Duke of York and Sir Malcolm Campbell appeared in a safety film which was shown to more than 250,000 children in cinemas all over the country. The Duchess of York presented prizes in the essay competition which was entered by 200,000 children. The Government began analysis of the causes of road accidents.
1934 A special road safety campaign undertaken in co-operation with the Ministry of Transport received grant funding of £5,000 for the first time. Sir Malcolm Campbell became chairman of the Road Fellowship League. Road safety cigarette cards were issued by W D & H O Wills. A broadcasting van was donated to the Association.
1935 No further Government grant was forthcoming so the president of the Association, Mr Gordon Stewart, made a personal donation of £2,000 to enable safety work to continue. The results of investigations into child accidents and cycling fatalities were published. The broadcasting van toured the country with specially made recordings from Gracie Fields and Jack Payne, among others. Evidence was given to the government's Inter-Departmental Committee on Road Safety among Schoolchildren. A comprehensive home safety booklet called "Beware" was published. Local safety councils began to form themselves into federations.
1936 The Duke of York ascended the throne and became King George VI and extended his royal patronage to the Association. More than 150,000 industrial safety posters were distributed. The first residential industrial safety conference was held in Oxford. The Junior Road Fellowship was set up for pupils in private and boarding schools. A Child Safety Section was set up to aid education authorities. The first regional home safety conference was held in Leeds. The air safety committee held a conference for aeronautical journalists.
1937 The 21st anniversary of the London "Safety First" Council was celebrated. There were more than 100 places with organised safety activity. Road accidents declined steadily. Work began into a standard for safety boots. Accident analysis revealed that the peak danger age for child pedestrians was three to seven; for cyclists, 14 to 16 and for motorists, 21 to 24. A one page Home Safety Code sold 120,000 copies. The first international safety conference took place in Holland. Eight representatives of the Association attended.
1938 The number of entrants in the safe driving competition reached 120,000. Evidence was given to the House of Lords Committee on Road Accidents. The Anniversary Fund produced £3,000 to support a variety of publicity projects.
1939 As World War II broke out traffic deaths soared in the black-out. Industrial injuries rose as new workers flooded into the factories. Posters on black-out hazards were published. A War Time Code of Safety Hints was distributed to 120,000 people. A register of safety officers was compiled.
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RoSPA is a registered charity: Registered Charity No: 207823 Patron: Her Majesty the Queen RoSPA Head Office: Edgbaston Park, 353 Bristol Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B5 7ST, UK |
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