News

New group aims to improve CaRe on county’s roads

A Kent and Medway Road Casualty Reduction Group – Road CaRe – was formally established last month with the aim of further reducing road casualties in Kent and Medway.

The group formally brings together five partners who will share information, experience and resources to have more impact on the reduction of the number of casualties than a single organisation.  The partners are Kent County Council (KCC), Medway Council, Kent Fire & Rescue, Kent Police and the Highways Agency.

The partners have been working together as a group since 2007 and their initial activities have already contributed to a reduction of 550 people killed or seriously injured on the county’s roads in 2007 compared with the average between 1994 and 1998.

At the first official meeting, CaRe Group members set out the priority areas to be targeted in 2009:

·        Driver impairment through drink or drugs;

·        The use of hand-held mobile telephones;

·        The use of seatbelts and child-restraints; and

·        Speed.

In addition, there will also be a particular focus on the following road user groups during 2009:

·        Young drivers;

·        Motorcyclists; and

·        Vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists).

Keith Ferrin, KCC Cabinet Member for Highways said:

“Working together in this partnership group means that we’ll be able to achieve more than any one of our organisations could achieve alone.

“It’s excellent news that this group has been officially established and we’re looking forward to working together to further reduce road casualties in the county.”

Priorities for 2009 were selected based on current trends and statistics showing areas where casualties could be significantly reduced.

On average, 88% of positive breath tests are given by male drivers with nearly 27% of these being under the age of 25 years.

Mobile phone use while driving – even hands free – has been proven to significantly reduce a driver’s ability to concentrate and in some cases is more dangerous than driving while over the legal alcohol limit.

Research has also shown that seatbelt use is a key factor in reducing the severity of injuries and increasing the chances of survival, but some drivers and passengers are still ignoring the warnings.

Inappropriate and excessive speed has long been known to contribute to the risk of crashing and it is also a significant contributor to the severity of any injuries in all types of road crash – making it a continuing area of focus for road safety initiatives.

Young drivers (17-24 years) are being targeted as a group because, despite holding just 13% of all full driving licences, more than 29% of motor vehicle drivers killed are in this age group.    

Motorcyclists are a vulnerable group with the highest risk of severe injury or death.  They only account for up to one in fifty of vehicles on the road, but suffer more than one in five of all fatal and serious road crash injuries.

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For further information contact Kate Nowowiecki at Kent County Council Media Centre on 01622 694932 or e-mail kate.nowowiecki@kent.gov.uk

More news releases are available online at www.kent.gov.uk/news