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Home » News & Events » 2014 » January » Road Safety Warning

Road Safety Warning

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The focus of this week’s safety message is on road safety, with a reminder to all motorists to act responsibly behind the wheel of a car and never to use their mobile phones or other hand-held electronic devices when driving.

Gill Pinder, Education Liaison Officer at HWFRS, said: “We work closely with the Safer Roads Partnership in West Mercia and other agencies across Herefordshire and Worcestershire to promote road safety all year round, but the risks in winter are even greater.

“A moment’s distraction for a driver can have devastating consequences –and so we’d urge all motorists to avoid any activity that would take their attention away from their driving. Clearly people should never use their mobile phones when driving - not to make phone calls, not to send or read text messages, nor to check their social media alerts.”

She urged younger motorists in particular to take note, stressing that they are risking their own lives as well as the lives of their passengers and other road users by using mobile phones or changing the music on their MP3s while driving.

She continued: “Fire crews attended 656 road traffic collisions last year (1 April 2010 – 31 March 2011) and many of these involved serious injury or even fatalities. Road safety is therefore high on the Fire Service’s list of priorities and we’d urge everyone to do all they can to stay safe themselves.”