There are about 24 remembrance services happening across the UK on this day.

The Gloucestershire service will be at Gloucester Cathedral at 3pm, and is being hosted by Canon Celia Thompson.

The Road Safety Partnership will be represented, but everyone is welcome to attend.

For more information about the day, see: www.roadpeace.org or www.wdor.org

As the evenings and ealy mornings get darker, it can be more difficult to spot people and hazards on the roads. The Partnership is advising drivers, riders, and pedestrians to take simple precautions, such as:

Pedestrians and cyclists:

• choose brighter, lighter routes
• take extra care when crossing the road
• make sure you have lights and reflectors on bicycles
• Wear hi-visibility, or light coloured clothing if walking or riding.

Drivers and motorcyclists:

• take extra time to check for people crossing the road
• wear hi-visibility clothing if riding a motorcycle
• give the road your full attention; don’t drive under the influence of drink or drugs, keep within speed limits, never use a mobile phone while driving, and always wear a seatbelt.

The Partnership has printed a striking poster, which demonstrates how hard it can be to see someone who’s dressed in dark or drab clothing. The posters, which have been made available for use by ‘Youth for Road Safety’ as part of the UN Decade of Action on Road Safety, have been distrubuted to all secondary schools and colleges, to Police Information Points and to Parish Councils for display on their noticeboards. They can also be downloaded for free on our Resource Centre pages.

Organised by the local Police Community Engagement Team, the day aims to highlight the activities available to young people in Gloucester, aged between 6-20 years.

The day promises to entertain – with Gloucester Scout Group, the Air Training Corps and the Sea Cadets all in attendance, along with Virgin Active Health Clubs, Party Zone Inflatables, the Army Recruitment Team and even the Warehouse Climbing Wall!

And we’ll be there to demonstrate our juggling skills – intrigued?! Then come along and see us – Llanthony Priory, Gloucester between 10am and 5pm.

The awareness day will focus on speed and keeping a safe distance – the two second rule. This means drivers should leave two seconds between themselves and the vehicle in front in normal driving conditions.

The event will take place in the car park of Kingsditch Retail Park, Cheltenham between 2 and 4pm. Visitors will get chance to try out the Road Safety Partnerships ‘seat belt sled’, which simulates the impact of a crash at just 7mph and demonstrates the importance of always wearing a seatbelt in the front and back of a vehicle. Fire crews will be on hand to chat to members of the public about the importance of good road safety.

The United Nations is launching a ten year strategy to cut the number of deaths worldwide. The Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011/2020 has received support from 100 countries and the UK is playing its part in reducing road death and injury.

Members of the Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership, including Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service and Gloucestershire Police , will be at the Michaelwood Services on the M5 motorway on Wednesday 11th May to promote road safety and give out advice and guidance.

A mobile safety camera van, the THINK! motorcycle, the seat belt sled and various fire engines will be at the service station, along with members of staff who are there to talk to motorists and their passengers. Drivers will also be able to get their child safety seats checked.

At 11am, Stroud Fire Station’s new engine with specialist road rescue equipment will be used in a demonstration to remove someone from a car that has been involved in a mock collision.

The Partnership has concluded compiling its casualty and collision data for 2010. Between January and December, there were 27 fatal collisions and 160 serious injury collisions.

These are amongst the lowest figures since 1974,  when council records started. In addition the total casualties, which include slight injuries, are the lowest ever.

Cllr Stan Waddington, Cabinet Member for Road Safety, said: “If you look back to 2001, there were 53 road deaths, 340 serious injuries, and 2,472 slight injuries giving a casualty total of 2,865 which is almost double the figures seen in 2010.

“The latest figures show that our targeted road safety advice and training is working across the board and in some cases, has exceeded government targets. This vital information is used to help plan where engineering improvements should be located to improve safety.”

The Partnership has identified that casualties peak between the ages of 15 and 24 years old, and so the Partnership will focus its prevention education work on these age groups.

A new education resource centre has been launched recently, and contains lesson plans, worksheets, items to borrow/loan, and road safety materials to order. Suitable for ages 0 to 18 years, the centre can be accessed here.

Divided into education year groups, it contains lesson plans, activity sheets, information on materials to order and borrow, casualty statistics, advice and guidance and links to other road safety websites.

The aim of the resource centre is to allow schools, carers, youth organisations and parents of children aged 0-18 years, to provide road safety education which can be tailored to their own needs. 

Whether the user is a pedestrian, cyclist, moped driver, car passenger of young driver, the site is full of practical tips on reducing risk.

Garry has worked for Gloucestershire County Council for 27 years. He manages a range of services aimed at reducing the number of collisions involving drivers, such as The Driver Improvement Scheme, Drink Drive Rehabilitation Scheme, Speed Awareness, and many other schemes aimed at making Gloucestershire’s roads safer.

Garry said, “Everyone involved in the day did whatever they could to make it as perfect as they could because they knew just how much it meant to every single recipient and their guests, as it is a day to remember for the rest of our lives.

The students were asked to mock up a night club, complete with pretend bar area and drinks menu. They were then asked to wear a pair of goggles and order a drink. The goggles simulate impairment by illustrating the effect that alcohol and drugs can have on your concentration, coordination, balance, vision, spatial awareness and mental arithmetic. Once they had their mock alcoholic drinks, they had to negotiate their way back to their friends who were seated in another part of the ‘club’.

The students had a lot of fun learning in this safe environment, but the exercise brought home the seriousness of drinking excess alcohol or taking drugs when driving a car, or being carried as a passenger. The workshop also included practical information on how to reduce your chances of being involved in a road collision. If you are interested in taking part in a similar workshop, please contact us.

16.06.10  Gloucestershire’s longest serving road safety officer, has been awarded the OBE for services to local government.

Garry Handley has worked for the County Council for 27 years, and currently manages a range of services aimed at reducing the number of collisions involving drivers, such as the Driver Improvement Scheme, Drink Drive Rehabilitation, Speed Awareness, and many others.

Career highlights have included developing SAGE (Safer Driving with Age Scheme) which has been adopted by many other local authorities around the country; lecturing at the World Driver Training Conference, facilitating a multi-national army road safety scheme in Pristina City, Kosovo which won an International Road Safety Award, and being highly commended by HRH Prince Michael of Kent for his outstanding contribution to road safety.

Garry said, “When I came to Gloucestershire in 1983, 1,324 people were killed or seriously injured on our roads, and last year that figure was 236. That’s over 1,000 people less being killed or seriously injured each year. Being a small part of this incredible reduction in the number of people being hurt on our roads is an ample reward in itself.

“When I was told that her Majesty the Queen was to approve my appointment as an Officer of the British Empire I was totally speechless and it was absolutely out of the blue. It honestly took my breath away. It is a huge honour for me to have my work recognised in this way and I will graciously accept it with humility and pride”.

Pete Bungard, Chief Executive of Gloucestershire County Council said, “I can’t think of a single individual who has made a greater impact on the safety of our roads than Garry. This business is so much about changing the behaviour of people and Garry’s style and passion is capable of engaging almost any individual, very quickly, and with a lasting impression.”