RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

February 20, 2002
RoSPA DRIVE TO CUT FUTURE ROAD DEATHS

Ways to make the next generation of motorists safer drivers will be explored at a conference organised by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents next month.

RoSPA will also be investigating ideas to improve the driving of those already on the road when it holds its national road safety congress – Safer Driving: The Road To Success. It is being staged, in association with Britax, at the Stratford Moat House, Stratford-upon-Avon, March 4-6.

Road Safety Minister David Jamieson will make the opening address to experts hoping to help the Government achieve its tough target of cutting deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 40 per cent over a 10-year period.

With novice drivers – particularly young male drivers – recognised as the most likely to have accidents, the conference will start by looking at schemes which tackle the attitude of those preparing to get behind the wheel for the first time. The future of driver training and testing in Great Britain will be discussed.

A speaker from Australia will explain the success of graduated driver licensing in New South Wales, where drivers’ activities are limited according to their experience on the road.

Other speakers will consider the benefits of driver improvement schemes at home and abroad, speed awareness training, the effects of speed cameras on drivers and intelligent speed limiters, which can automatically control the speed of cars in certain areas.

The part that bosses can play in road safety by properly managing the risk their drivers face on the roads will also be a major topic. Pressure is mounting for action to be taken against companies under health and safety law if they are shown to require their employees to drive in ways which are detrimental to road safety – such as fitting in too many visits during a day or driving while using a mobile phone.

Peter Archer, Managing Director of Britax Excelsior, will talk about a new approach to solving child car seat misuse.

Kevin Clinton, RoSPA Head of Road Safety, said: “More than 41,500 people are killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads each year. The key to reducing that figure is to improve the standard of driving in this country. We hope our conference will point the way to achieving that aim.”