By Leah Conway
This week, 15 to 21 November, marks Road Safety Week 2021 and West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) has begun its biggest annual road safety campaign.
This year’s theme is ‘Road Safety Heroes,’ which aims to celebrate road safety professionals and spread awareness of how everyone can help make journeys safer.
The WYFRS has partnered with West Yorkshire Police, National Highways, and local
authorities throughout the region. The week champions road safety, aiming to reduce death, injury and accidents on our roads by raising awareness.
“Devastating effects”
“If you hit a pedestrian at 40 mph, there is a 90 per cent chance they will be killed. This drops to 20 per cent at 30 mph. The greater the impact speed, the greater the chance of death,” said Area Manager for Service Delivery, Scott Donegan
“In the UK, on average, someone is killed or seriously injured on a road every 20 minutes, and children are especially vulnerable, with more than six children aged 15 and under killed or seriously injured every day,” he added.
“We see the devastating effects on individuals, communities and families all too often, but many accidents are preventable. By driving at appropriate speeds and complying with road and vehicle safety rules, we can improve these worrying statistics together.”
“Road Safety Week is a great opportunity for us [to] get out and speak to the public about road safety and the ‘fatal 4’ – driving at excessive speed, drinking and drug driving, not wearing seat belts and using mobile phones whilst driving.”
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Kirklees Roadshows
WYFRS are delivering roadshows throughout West Yorkshire this week. The team will also visit Springfield College in Dewsbury and Kirklees College in Huddersfield to carry out Road Traffic Collision demonstrations using actual vehicles.
Road Safety Week is part of a broader initiative to keep Kirklees roads safe, the WYRFS along with Kirklees Council–Safer Kirklees, Highways Agency and West Yorkshire.
Police make the Kirklees Road Safety Partnership. The partnership promotes road safety, including developing community initiatives, support interventions, community activities and education.