RoSPA Press Office : Press Releases : 2003

Bosses are being urged to play their part in reducing the number of people killed and injured on Northern Ireland’s roads. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents believes that employers will have to make a major contribution if the province is to achieve its target of cutting road deaths and serious injuries by a third - from the current average of 1,750 to 1,200 by 2012. Full Story»

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents today called on the Government to stop the current system for changing clocks and to try a new method that could save 450 deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s road each year. As people prepare to change their clocks this weekend, RoSPA asked for at least a two-year trial for its plan, which would give lighter evenings all-year-round. Full Story»

The UK’s best young driver has been named as Craig Shaw, aged 18, from Hereford. Others honoured for their skills include competitors from Spilsby in Lincolnshire, Hamilton in Scotland, Taunton, Crewe, Warrington and Newtonabbey in Northern Ireland. Full Story»

Forty young motorists from throughout the UK will be bidding for the title Young Driver of the Year on Sunday. They will be taking part in the final of a competition organised by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Advanced Drivers Association aimed at motorists up to 24 years-old – the group most at risk on our roads. Prizes will include entry and training to race in the Uniroyal Team Challenge at a major UK circuit and CIS insurance vouchers to the value of £1,000. Full Story»

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is offering free posters as part of a new campaign to protect millions of workers who are exposed to dangerous substances. RoSPA is supporting European Week for Safety and Health at Work by giving two free posters to business and organisations, which buy two publications on the safe handling of chemicals and dangerous materials. Full Story»

The countdown has begun to Northern Ireland’s Halloween celebrations - and people planning firework parties are urged to visit RoSPA’s new website www.saferfireworks.com as soon as possible. The site has a “ready..steady…go!” section advising people about what action they need to take as each week passes on the way to the big night. Full Story»

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is to run home safety activity sessions for Birmingham children, aged 5-13, to help them become more aware of accidents in the home. Figures show three children are killed in home accidents each week and more than a million go to hospital after being hurt at home each year in the UK. Full Story»

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is targeting schools in an effort to reduce around 45,000 accidents each year involving poisons and chemicals around the home. The aim is also to give children the knowledge to keep them safe when they start work, where millions of people are exposed to risk from dangerous substances. Full Story»

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents today renewed its call for the drink-drive limit to be lowered as new figures showed an increase in drink-drive deaths last year. The estimated number of people killed in drink-related accidents went up from 530 in 2001 to 560 in 2002. Figures for people injured in drink-drive accidents are also on the rise. Full Story»

RoSPA is calling on architects and developers to eradicate accident “blackspots” around the home by designing properties with safety in mind. The Society believes that a list of ten simple safety measures - included at the construction stage and costing only £900 - would have a colossal payback in terms of accident prevention. Home accidents cost the National Health Service £7billion a year, but RoSPA believes this could be drastically reduced if designers paid more attention to safety when planning new projects or refurbishing properties. Full Story»