The Brain Injury Group is taking part in this year’s Road Safety Week (23-29 November), as part of a national campaign coordinated by Brake, the road safety charity, encouraging people to drive less, live more and make our streets safer, more pleasant places.
As part of the campaign, the Brain Injury Group and ten of its law firm members is working with 12 schools – and one pack of cubs – to promote Road Safety Week. To tie in with the theme of this year’s campaign, the children have been challenged to come up with wacky ways to get to school, and to draw themselves doing it! A number of ideas have been suggested – from magic carpets to pet elephants – to set their creative juices flowing. Prizes will be awarded to the winning entry in each class that’s not only wacky, but also includes safety aspects and devices. Nearly 4000 children will be directly involved in the activity.
The Brain Injury Group is joining thousands of other organisations, schools and community groups across the UK promoting life-saving messages as part of Road Safety Week, the UK’s biggest road safety event.
The Road Safety Week 2015 theme, drive less, live more, is about making our streets safer, more pleasant places by encouraging people to drive less, as little as possible, or not at all if they can. The campaign asks everyone to consider how they use roads, and see if they can reduce car journeys by walking, cycling or using public transport instead.
In 2014, five people were killed and over 60 were seriously injured every day on UK roads [1][2]. Two-thirds (63%) of trips are made by car, including four in 10 (40%) trips of less than two miles [3][4]. Road Safety Week is an opportunity for everyone to spread vital road safety messages, including the ‘drive less, live more’ campaign, to help reduce that toll to zero and ensure everyone can get around without fear or threat.
As part of the campaign, Brake will be revealing newly commissioned research on people’s views on driving less, and local statistics showing the benefits of driving less. Find out more in the Road Safety Week newsroom from Monday 23 November.
Gary Rae, Director of Campaigns and Communications, Brake, said: “We’re delighted the Brain Injury Group is doing its bit to make our roads safer by getting involved with Road Safety Week and helping to spread the ‘drive less, live more’ message. Local support for the road safety cause is vital if we are to achieve our goal of putting an end to road deaths and injuries, and enabling everyone to get around without fear or threat. We can go a long way to achieving this if we all commit to reducing traffic on our roads. We are asking everyone to consider whether their journey – to school, to work, to the shops, to visit friends or family – can be made on foot, bicycle or by using public transport instead. Driving less reduces congestion, pollution, and traffic danger, making our streets safer and more pleasant places, plus it can make you fitter, healthier and happier.”
Sally Dunscombe, Director and founder of the Brain Injury Group, said: “Road Safety Week has a very serious message about keeping everyone safe on the roads and part of this is making children aware of their surroundings and their behaviour going to and from school. Our member firms work with the families of children that have suffered a brain injury, many the result of a road traffic accident. Our wacky ways competition is designed to engage the children’s interest and spark their imagination whilst also emphasising the importance of safety.”
Click here to see the member firms and schools taking part in Road Safety Week 2015.
Further information:
Brake
Brake is a national road safety charity that exists to stop the needless deaths and serious injuries that happen on roads every day, make streets and communities safer for everyone, and care for families bereaved and injured in road crashes. Brake promotes road safety awareness, safe and sustainable road use, and effective road safety policies. It does this through national campaigns, community education, services for road safety professionals and employers, and by coordinating the UK’s flagship road safety event every November, Road Safety Week. Brake is a national, government-funded provider of support to families and individuals devastated by road death and serious injury, including through a helpline and support packs.
Brake was founded in the UK in 1995, and now has domestic operations in the UK and New Zealand, and works globally to promote action on road safety.
Road crashes are not accidents; they are devastating and preventable events, not chance mishaps. Calling them accidents undermines work to make roads safer, and can cause insult to families whose lives have been torn apart by needless casualties.
Road Safety Week
Road Safety Week is the UK’s flagship event to promote safer road use, coordinated annually by the charity Brake and involving thousands of schools, communities and organisations across the country. Road Safety Week 2015 takes place 23-29 November.
