Brake’ National Road Safety Week – ‘Safe Roads For All’ Campaign 14-20 November 2022 – ‘Everyone’s Life Matters On The Roads’:

Brake’ National Road Safety Week – ‘Safe Roads For All’ Campaign 14-20 November 2022 – ‘Everyone’s Life Matters On The Roads’:

Introduction
The ‘Brake’ National Road Safety Week campaign takes place next week 14-20 November and is again being supported by Royal Mail Group (RMG) and the CWU jointly. The RMG materials arrived only yesterday so our apologies for the late notice.

Road Safety Week is the UK’s biggest road safety event. Every year, thousands of companies, fleet operators, schools, organisations, trade unions and communities get involved to shout out for our right to make safe and healthy journeys on the UK’s roads every day. ‘BRAKE’ announced that the theme of Road Safety Week 2022 is ‘Safe Roads For All’ – ‘Everyone’s Life Matters On The Roads’. Celebrating the heroic work of road safety professionals and those driving safely plus explaining how we can all play a part in making journeys safer for everyone.

‘Brake’ is a road safety charity working with communities and organisations across the UK to stop the tragedy of road deaths and injuries, make streets and communities safer for everyone, and support people bereaved and seriously injured on roads. ‘Brake’ has been working since 1995 to make a difference across the UK.

Royal Mail Group, the CWU and Unite/CMA will be supporting the 2022 ‘Brake’ Road Safety Charity’s annual national Road Safety Campaign again this year which takes place next week from 14-20 November. The idea is all about raising awareness of road safety to all drivers in Royal Mail, Parcelforce, RMP&FS, RMSS and RM Fleet etc. Royal Mail operate one of the largest vehicle fleets in the UK and Europe and as such are a key player.

The 2022 campaign will concentrate on a number of key messages to drivers and managers to raise awareness of key areas of road safety, including safe vehicles and speeds, the recently updated Highway Code and driving laws and the importance of inclusivity to keep us all safe on the roads, no matter who we are or how we travel, emphasising how important it is for drivers to ensure that they always drive safely and make road journeys safe for everyone.

The theme, in keeping with the safe system approach to road safety, helps support UK Government objectives to invest in measures to enable people to make safe, healthy and sustainable journeys, including measures to encourage more people to move more often in active ways, such as cycling.

The theme was set following discussions with representatives from community groups, the police, Government, businesses, educators and other charities.

Employers and fleet operators can help employees or members understand how to protect themselves and other road users through good policies, procedures, training and education.

The Road Safety Week campaign is supported by funding from the Department for Transport’s Think! campaign and sponsors.

In their launch statement ‘Brake’ stated: “We all use roads and deserve to feel safe when we move around, whether we walk, ride, drive or use public transport. Everyone’s safety on roads matters, whether we are young or old, wherever we live and whatever our ability. ‘Safe Roads for All’ recognises that there are lots of different road users, from HGVs to vans and cars, to motorcyclists, horse riders, cyclists, and pedestrians. We are all just trying to get somewhere and none of us want to get hurt or hurt someone else – there is no ‘them and us’, we’re all in this together. We also all have the right to breathe clean air and be able to move around our communities and between places in ways that are safe and healthy for us and the planet. This is at the heart of this year’s campaign and ‘Brake’ would encourage everyone to take part by visiting the Road Safety website for more information and to sign up.

The Statistics
Last year 1,558 people were killed on UK roads, 50% of whom were either motorcyclists, cyclists, or pedestrians. This year Brake are campaigning for ‘Safe Roads for All’.

The Campaign Messages on Speeding, Distraction and Impairment
Next week Royal Mail, Parcelforce and all other parts of Royal Mail Group will be asking drivers to concentrate on and think carefully about these areas. Following the advice and rules will help to protect drivers, passengers, other road users and pedestrians against the main causes of road deaths. They will keep drivers safe at work, and also help to keep drivers and their family and friends safe when away from work. You might never know it, but you may just save a life! – Thank you, and Safe Driving!

Speeding
Excessive speed is a contributory factor in one-third of fatal collisions.

At lower speeds, drivers have better control over their vehicle, better observation, and more time to react to if something happens. Being in a low speed collision means the forces are much lower. An average speed reduction of just 1mph, reduces collision frequency by 5% – drivers need to remember that when travelling at ‘just a few mph’ over the limit.

Remember, it’s a limit, not a target – drive to the conditions, reducing speed according to the weather and the road.

‘20 is plenty’ in many urban and residential areas, even if the limit is 30mph. Nobody is saying to drive everywhere at 20mph but use your judgement to consider when and where this is appropriate. A vehicle driven at 20mph could be stopped in time to avoid a child running out three car-lengths in front. The same vehicle driven at 30mph could not stop in time and would hit the child at 27mph. This is roughly the same impact as a child falling from the third floor of a building!

Distraction
Safe driving requires a driver’s full focus, with their eyes and their mind on the road. Anything which takes attention away from driving increases the risk of a collision – do not use a mobile phone, eat whilst driving, programme the sat-nav, read addresses etc.

RMG policy is clear that drivers must not use a mobile phone or other mobile device (including PDAs) whilst driving, including hands-free. Speaking on a mobile phone increases the risk of a collision by four times, and hands-free use is no less risky. Drivers can follow a sat-nav (or RON) provided it’s been programmed in advance and drivers must not try to change it whilst driving.

Impairment
When carrying out pre-use vehicle checks, drivers should take a moment to check that they are safe to drive and speak to their manager if they aren’t.

Don’t drive tired – falling asleep at the wheel has obvious consequences but driving whilst excessively tired also affects a driver’s ability to concentrate and increases reaction times. Drivers should ensure that they are well rested before work, take their breaks and do not exceed drivers’ hours rules.

Avoid drugs and alcohol – there are strict legal limits for drugs and alcohol, above which drivers face receiving a driving ban and a hefty fine. However, even small levels can significantly affect the ability to drive safely, so the best approach is not to take any drugs or alcohol if planning to drive – not a drop, not a drag.

Check any medical conditions – lots of medical conditions can affect a driver’s ability to drive safely and drivers must report to DVLA (DVA in Northern Ireland) if they develop certain conditions or if existing conditions worsen. Details can be found on the DVLA website. Drivers must also report any of these conditions to their manager immediately. Be aware that many prescriptions or over the counter medications can make a person drowsy and/or unfit to drive – always check with the pharmacist if not sure.

Case Study
In 2008, postman Chris Robbins was seriously injured when he was hit by a speeding driver. You can hear his story and the impact it had on him and his family, on RMTV. Chris calls for drivers to drive within the speed limit, to focus on the road, avoid distractions and never drive tired. If everybody was to do this all the time, then road casualties would decrease sharply.

RMG Campaign and Staff WTLL/Huddle
See attached RMG Staff WTLL/Huddle for next week’s National Road Safety Week. In RMG the campaign will be supported by plasma screen slide messages and TV screens will be used to promote ‘Brake National Road Safety Week.’ The attached Road Safety Week Huddle message will be delivered to promote the campaign and there will be a short video/film on RMTV and plasma TV screens and on social media. The RMTV campaign has been built around an interview with a ‘case study’ involving Chris Robbins, a postman from Bradford who was seriously injured when hit by a speeding motorist in 2008. The interview has been filmed for RMTV and will be included in the programme for road safety week.

Benefits of the Campaign:

Improved compliance with RMG Policy and Road Traffic Law.
Increase road and driver safety awareness amongst drivers and managers.
Reduction in road traffic collisions.

CWU ASR Support and Participation:

CWU/ASR, Sub/ASR and WSR full support and participation is much appreciated by Royal Mail, Parcelforce Worldwide, RMSS, RMP&FS and CWU HQ.
Engage front line managers and ask them if they’ve delivered the Road Safety Week message, WTLL/Huddle?
Ask managers – have they made all drivers aware of the 3 key campaign messages?
Check that drivers have received the Road Safety Week WTLL/Huddle briefing?
Carry out safety inspections and increase Road Safety Week awareness?
Remind drivers to carry out their ‘mandatory’ vehicle pre-use safety checks before they set out on their journeys.

Further information on the ‘Brake’ Road Safety Week can be found on their website: https://www.brake.org.uk/road-safety-week

Attachments: