Road Safety Week: Stop, imagine, change

Stafford’s Labour MP David Kidney is joining Brake, the road safety charity, and bereaved families across the UK in a Road Safety Week campaign urging the public to “Stop. Imagine. Change”.

Families whose lives have been shattered by horrendous crashes are at the forefront of the appeal to people across the UK to stop and imagine the shock waves caused in a community when someone dies or is severely maimed, and change their behaviour so they never cause such devastation to their own family or someone else’s.

David Kidney MP says:

“I fully support the “Stop. Imagine. Change” campaign and urge everyone to take a good look at their own behaviour on roads. We all need to make sure we are taking every possible measure to protect the ones we love and prevent the devastation that would change their lives forever."

“Last week in Parliament I attended the annual Livia awards, the initiative of one couple whose beautiful 16-year-old ballet dancing daughter Livia was mown down and killed by a car which mounted the pavement and struck her. I was extremely moved listening to reports of deaths and bereavements and of tremendous police investigations to track down the guilty, many of whom have no insurance and do not stop when they cause such carnage.”

Statistics from the Department for Transport (2007 statistics) tell us that:
 One in 252 people die on roads
 3,059 people were killed, 28,871 people were seriously injured and 255,286 more were hurt in 2007
 8 people are killed, 79 people are seriously injured and 617 more are hurt every day

For more information about Road Safety Week and the bereaved and injured families helping, follow the link or call Brake on 01484 559909/61 (07976 069159 out of hours)

Brake produce a useful power point presentation for teachers  aimed at 11-15 year olds.

There are some interesting details of a community based road safety campaign based in Guernsey.

Are we doing enough to make the roads safe here in Stafford? If you have ideas about more that we should be doing please contact me.