RoSPA Press Office : Press Releases : 2001

The jailing of a lorry driver, who veered off the road and killed a man while composing a text message, reinforced the need to ban the use of mobile phones while driving, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said today. RoSPA said the temptation to answer a call or deal with text messages had to be removed. Full Story»

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has welcomed news that a pilot scheme to allow police forces to buy more speed cameras is saving lives. But John Howard, RoSPA Director of Safety Policy, said any extra cameras should be concentrated in areas where there was a known accident problem. Full Story»

New proposals to make company car and van drivers safer on the roads will be explored at a national conference organised by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. The RoSPA Safety & Health at Work congress in May will devote a day to managing risk on the road - in the wake of the discussion document due to be published later this month by the Government task force examining at-work road traffic accidents. Three leading figures involved in the task group will be present. Full Story»

Road safety experts from around the world will meet next month to discuss ways of reducing child casualties on the UK’s roads. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents’ annual road safety congress, in association with Britax, will be held at the Glasgow Thistle Hotel, March 12-14. Full Story»

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the Esso Petroleum Company are offering small firms and organisations the chance to improve their health and safety management through a safety scholarship. The scholarship, run jointly by RoSPA and Esso, is aimed at small businesses which do not have a health and safety officer. Full Story»

Now is the last chance for businesses and organisations to show their commitment to safety at work by entering the UK’s leading safety scheme, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents 2001 Occupational Health and Safety Awards, sponsored by RMC Group plc. The awards are open to all sectors of industry and commerce, including healthcare, chemicals, local government, food and drink and transport and distribution. Special emphasis is being made on RMC’s own industry sectors - construction and quarrying. Full Story»

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is warning people to stay off the ice this weekend as the big freeze continues. Dog owners are particularly at risk. Two children died when they went through the ice on a frozen lake in Ireland three weeks ago and others had narrow escapes. The last time there was a severe cold spell in Britain eight people died in ice-related drownings. Full Story»

Two safety-conscious companies have each been presented with a prestigious award from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the Esso Petroleum Company. Andrew Robertson, production manager for Hydram Engineering, County Durham, and Matthew Webster, of road surfacing and civil engineering company, Frank Tucker Ltd, Bradford, were both awarded the RoSPA/Esso Scholarship. Full Story»

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents joins forces with the Government and Nottingham City Council today in an attempt to reduce the number of deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning in the East Midlands. The East Midlands has one of the worst records for this "silent killer" in the UK, and Department of Trade and Industry research has shown that people in the region are not aware of the problem. Full Story»

An 11 per cent increase in drink-drive accidents over the Christmas period was "extremely worrying", The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said today. The Association of Chief Police Officers said the total number of positive breath tests in collisions dealt with by the police in the Christmas and New Year period was 1,081 - 11 per cent up on the previous year. Full Story»