Humberside Fire and Rescue Service is supporting CFOA (Chief Fire Officer’s Association) Road Safety Week (8 – 14 June) with activities to raise awareness around the dangers of driving distracted.
In 2014, 865 young people, aged between 16 to 24 years old, were injured on roads across the Humberside region.
Louise Marritt, Road Safety Team Leader at Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Whilst the number of killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties continues to decrease, young people still represent 22% of all KSI casualties, meaning they remain a priority road user group for our local road safety partnership, Safer Roads Humber.”
Throughout the week, the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service team have activities which will focus on assisting young people, either as passengers or new drivers, to manage their own risk when travelling on the regions roads.
“Our road safety package, which we deliver in schools and colleges, also encourages young people to think about effective and realistic strategies that they can use to confidently challenge risky behaviour inside a vehicle, in particular using a mobile phone to make a call, send a text or to access social media whilst driving,” Louise added.
The IAM (The Institute of Advance Motorists) has recently released advice to drivers on how to use in-car entertainment in the safest way possible:
If you connect your MP3 player, iPod or mobile phone to your car to listen to music, make sure you have connected the device before you set off. Avoid changing playlists or skipping songs as you will be forced to take your eyes off the road.
A multi-function steering wheel can be used to adjust the volume of your car stereo or change CD’s. If you have these facilities try to use them where possible as they will help to reduce distraction. Playing music too loudly can also take your mind off the task of driving.
Avoid playing music that makes you drive faster – tunes with a strong beat might make you speed up without realising it is happening.
Children can get restless on long journeys, so a rear seat DVD player can keep them occupied. Ensure they have a set of headphones to use so that the volume does not distract the driver.
Although a Bluetooth feature is available in most modern cars, it is strongly advised that you do not use it to talk when you are driving – research shows that this is a major distraction – and remember that it is illegal to use a hand-held device while driving.
If you have an interactive touch screen with an in-built satellite navigation system, programme your destination details before you start your journey, or while you have stopped safely. You should do the same when using a portable satnav too.
The IAM’s chief examiner, Peter Rogers said: “The pace of development in the field of in-car entertainment and technology has raced forward in recent years. But remember that the journey is why you are in the car, and the entertainment you use should help you to do this safely, and should never become more important than the driving and the journey itself.”
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service is proud to support the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 – 2020.