Hundreds of drivers will be asked to pledge their commitment to cutting their speed on Cumbria’s roads as part of the 'respect' road safety initiative.
Staff and patients from the Lowther medical centre in Whitehaven will sign a special pledge showing their personal commitment to reducing speed in their area on Thursday 16th June between 10.30am and 2.00pm.
The pledge is an element in the 'respect' campaign that was launched at Lakes College, Workington last month. Cumbria County Council, Capita Road Safety and Cumbria Constabulary are responsible for running ‘respect’ over the next four months in selected areas of Workington and Whitehaven.
The campaign is designed to promote 'respect' for speed limits and reduce the number of road casualties in the area. In 2004, ten people were killed and 120 were seriously injured on roads in Allerdale and Copeland. Cumbria as a whole saw 57 people killed and 377 seriously injured on the roads last year.
Bridget Stanley, Capita Road Safety Officer, said:
“We are encouraging everyone to come along and make the pledge. It won’t cost you anything, and by doing so you may help save a life. Making the commitment is part of the long term campaign designed to make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink driving.”
“Speed humps and other engineering measures do make most drivers slow down, however, attitudes and behaviour towards speeding still need to be changed to ensure that drivers take responsibility for their actions, which is what we aim to achieve through our respect campaign”.
As well as the pledge scheme, 'respect' employs a number of measures including:
·Speed awareness training, where certain drivers in the 'respect' areas will have the chance to swap fines and points for education
·Speed indicator devices flashing-up drivers’ current speeds at the roadside
·Young driver training courses for newly qualified drivers
The latest Department for Transport speed campaign video will be on display to illustrate the dangers of speeding in the campaign trailer. Road Safety Officers and Traffic Engineer Mark Hankin will also be available to offer advice and information.