Family safety charity RoSPA is calling on all road users to reflect on their behaviour and attitude as part of a European-wide push to reduce death and serious injuries.
Project EDWARD (European Day Without A Road Death) is taking place across the UK and 29 other countries tomorrow (Wednesday, September 21) and RoSPA, along with other UK road safety organisations, is giving its full backing.
The project, an initiative by European Traffic Police Network TISPOL, aims not only to have zero road deaths tomorrow, but to get people to think about their actions on the road so that deaths can be reduced in the future.
Project EDWARD will use a series of short films to highlight the dangers associated with actions such as speeding, driver distraction, illegal use of mobile phones behind the wheel, and drink-driving. It is also asking individuals and organisations to sign its pledge to spread road safety messages.
Nick Lloyd, road safety manager at RoSPA, said: “This is a really worthy initiative, and RoSPA is pleased to offer its support to the project. Anything we can do to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads, not just here in the UK but also around the world, is welcome.
“By getting road users to think about their actions, even if only for a few minutes, we could drive down the number of needless and devastating accidents.”
In 2015 1,732 people were killed on the UK’s roads, with 22,137 others being seriously injured, many with life-changing injuries. Across Europe, 26,000 people were killed and 135,000 seriously injured in the same year.
The UK statistics represent a near-stagnation in the long-term downward trend in road deaths, as there has been no significant change since 2011.