#ProjectEDWARD 2019: social media resources and schedule published
A
BRAND new social media library and schedule has been launched by
members of the Project EDWARD team, to increase support for this year’s
European Day Without A Road Death. The library includes a recommended
timetable of social media activity, with themes and images for each day
in September leading up to Project EDWARD Day on Thursday 26.
Organised
by TISPOL (the European Road Police Network), Project EDWARD seeks to
break down political differences and challenge all road users with the
simple theme: we are all more vulnerable than we think. Another
key aim of Project EDWARD is to unite everyone with an interest in
reducing
the number of people killed on our roads, in order to raise awareness of
the many simple ways in which we can all be safer road users.
Any
supporting organisations and individuals are invited to access the
library and download the resources in good time for the launch of the
social media campaign on Sunday 1 September.
You
can download the social media schedule, images and other #ProjectEDWARD
artwork right now from the resources page of the Project Edward website.
Speed enforcement operation this week
12 to 18 August
12 to 18 August
During
this operation, officers will use a number of speed detection methods
across all types of road. The purpose of the operation is to raise
awareness of the dangers of speeding, and to remind drivers of the
benefits for all road users of driving at speeds that are both legal and
appropriate.
We
urge all drivers to challenge their own attitude to speeding. Anyone
who still believes that speeding is a trivial offence needs to think
again. That’s because excessive or
inappropriate speed has a singularly devastating impact on the safety of
road users, increasing both the risk of a crash and the severity of the
consequences.
It
is estimated that speeding contributes to as many as one third of all
crashes resulting in death, and is the most important contributory
factor to road deaths and serious injuries. Similar TISPOL operation in
previous years have seen more than 500,000 detections. But detecting
offending drivers is not the aim; the true measure of success for this
operation would be 100 per cent compliance with speed limits.
We regret to announce the death of André Roth
The
TISPOL President, members of the Executive Committee and Secretariat
wish to express their condolences to the family of André Roth, who
between 2011 and 2017 was an enthusiastic member of the TISPOL
Operational Group and the Technology Working Group.
André's
job was as a member of the Basel City traffic police in Switzerland,
where he had worked for many years. Away from his work, André was
passionate about travelling... and he loved trains and model railways.
He also loved the early morning meetings of the TISPOL Running
Group, which used to meet at 7am each day during TISPOL conferences and gatherings.
There
was one occasion where six runners were waiting in the lobby of the
Radisson Blu Hotel at Manchester Airport, about to give up on André, who
had surprisingly not arrived.
"We
will count 20 seconds and then go," someone said finally. "20, 19,
18..." we all started. And just as we reached zero, the elevator door
opened and André stepped out to a relieved round of applause.
We send our condolences to Andrea his wife, his
daughter Livia and to all his family members at this very sad time.
André Roth was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer in the Spring of 2019. He died on 8 August, aged 54.
If you worked with André and would like to share a memory with us, please send an email and we will include your words in the website announcement
Updates from across Europe...
Switzerland: multi-lingual motorway safety guide published
A
so-called "Autobahn-Knigge" has been published and presented in
Switzerland. It introduces and explains the basic rules of traffic and
behaviour on motorways, which are for safety and traffic flow.
The explanations are available in four languages (German, French, Italian, English) and illustrated with pictures.
The
development was carried out under the direction of the federal
authorities in cooperation with the various police corps as well as the
transport associations.
Ireland: motorists are more likely to die on rural roads than anywhere else, safety review finds
A
road safety review has found that almost four out of five road deaths
happen on country roads - with Sunday the most deadly day for
fatalities. So far this year, 70 people have died in road collisions -
79% of which occurred on rural roads with a speed limit of 80km/h or
higher.
There has been a seven per cent increase in fatalities on Irish roads so far this year.
French cars can now be fined in Ireland and Sweden
Drivers
with French licence plates on their vehicle now risk a fine at home if
they are caught speeding in two more countries - Ireland and Sweden - in
addition to the 18 other nations already on the list. France has
agreements in place with these nations, meaning that they can exchange
information on driving infractions across borders, in both directions.
A spokesperson for La Sécurité Routière said:
“It is now possible to
prosecute Irish and Swedish nationals who commit road infractions that
are picked up by cameras in France. In return, French citizens who
commit road infractions picked up by cameras on Irish and Swedish roads,
can be prosecuted by the authorities of those countries.
“Since
the introduction of speed cameras in France, around 21 per cent of
infractions (50 per cent in the summer) concern cars with foreign
licence plates, even though they represent only around five per cent of
traffic.
“In
one year (from February 2018 to January 2019), more than 15,000
infractions were committed on French roads by cars with Irish licence
plates, and more than 12,000
infractions were committed by cars with Swedish plates.”
The full list of countries where the rules apply is: Belgium,
Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, UK, Romania, Italy, Luxembourg,
Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Portugal, Switzerland, Ireland and Sweden.
Car wrecks on French roundabouts aim to cut road deaths
A
region in central France plans to display wreckage of crashed cars on
roundabouts in a campaign launched to "make an impression" on drivers,
after the number of road deaths in the area rose considerably.
The
number of people killed in road accidents in the Yonne department,
southeast of Paris, has climbed to 23 since the start of the year,
compared with 14 in the same period in 2018, according to local
authorities. Roundabouts will see the remnants of wrecked vehicles,
alongside road safety warnings to "make drivers think about the risks
and the often dramatic consequences of dangerous driving.” The scheme
will be tested in two local
villages, Charmoy and Villefargeau before authorities decide whether to
expand it to other areas.
Finland: poll shows 40 of pedestrians report dangerous incident at crossing
A
Finnish Road Safety Council-commissioned survey shows that two out of
every five respondents have been involved in a dangerous incident or
accident on a pedestrian crossing. One in five said that they are afraid
to cross the street even on familiar crosswalks.
Three
out of five of the respondents nevertheless said they believe that
using pedestrian crossings is safe in general, and about half said that
motorists in Finland generally give way to pedestrians at crosswalks
without traffic lights.
The poll of 1,082 respondents was conducted in
late May-early June.
UK: government urged to consider hands-free phone ban for drivers
Drivers
could be banned from using hands-free mobile phones in England and
Wales, a group of MPs has suggested. Current law gives the "misleading
impression" that hands-free options are safe, they warned.
While
it has been illegal to use a handheld phone at the wheel since 2003,
using a hands-free device creates "the same risks of collision", the
Commons Transport Select Committee said.
The government said that, where legal, drivers must always use phones safely.
An
expert told the committee that taking a hands-free phone call caused
"essentially the same" amount of distraction as being at the legal limit
for alcohol blood level in England and Wales.
A public consultation on the proposal should be published by the end of 2019.
Talking point: electric scooters
Cities are struggling to regulate their use following a spate of electric scooter collisions.
The
two-wheeled vehicles, which can travel at speeds in excess of 50km/h
(30mph), have been involved in hundreds of incidents, including several
deaths.
Germany is now looking to enforce "clear" and "binding" laws, its transport authorities say.
Regulators
must decide if scooters are for pavements, cycle paths or roads. As the
vehicles have small, electric motors to power them, it is proving
tricky to establish the safest spaces for both users and bystanders.
At a glance: current laws in European cities?
- The use of electric scooters in public is permitted in many European countries, such as Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland.
- Laws in the UK and Ireland ban them from pavements and roads - the only place they can be ridden is on private land, with the permission of the landowner.
- Riders caught using them in public in the UK face a £300 fixed-penalty notice and six points on their driving licence.
- Sweden has banned the use of any motorised scooters capable of speeds beyond 20km/h from its cities' bicycle lanes.
- In Paris, fines of €135 were recently introduced for riding electric scooters on pavements, and a €35 penalty is issued to users parking vehicles in doorways or blocking pavements.
- A speed limit for the vehicles has been introduced in Belgium, where they can be ridden by anyone aged 18 or over under the same laws as bicycles, although the country recently raised the speed limit from 18km/h to 25km/h.
- In Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, new rules are being considered to limit the number of scooters that can be parked in specified areas of the city.
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