Rotherham road safety week aims to save lives from increased traffic collisions

Image: Group of children (credit: Brake Charity)

National campaign sees local partnership South Yorkshire Safer Roads working alongside schools to try and promote safer roads for all.  

Road Safety Week, which is from November 19-25, is organised by the charity Brake, whose aim for the campaign is to reduce the amount of deaths and serious injuries caused in road collisions with a specific focus this year on speed. 

Safer Roads South Yorkshire media officer, Amy Westby said: “For road safety week, pupils at Wickersley Northfield primary school have become ‘Active Travel ambassadors’ and designed ‘positive parking’ tickets to hand out to drivers who used the free car parks in the area around their school. 

“The aim is to raise awareness about the importance of safe parking and to encourage drivers to do the right thing on the school run.

“This is all part of our mission to encourage safe and sustainable journeys for all families.”

Images: Year 6 ‘active travel ambassador’ giving a positive parking ticket

According to government statistics, since 2020-2022 Rotherham has seen an average of 5.45 people per 10,000 involved in a collision, resulting in death or a serious injury, as opposed to the national average of 3.26. 

Statistics from South Yorkshire Roads safer also show that at least 100 people every year since 2017-2021 in Rotherham have either been killed or seriously injured by a road user. 

Lucy Straker, campaign manager for Brake said: “Five people die on UK roads every day, so why do we still think it’s OK to speed?

“Every time we drive faster than the speed limit, or too fast for the road conditions, we increase the risk of a crash and we increase the chance that someone we love will be killed or hurt on the road.”