Reminding children to THINK! before they cross the road
14 Oct 2011

A new THINK! campaign to help children stay safe on the roads has launched today by Road Safety Minister Mike Penning.

The £700,000 campaign, which will run on television and in cinemas, is aimed at children aged six-11 and spells out the dangers of not taking care on the roads. Television adverts will highlight the importance of finding a safe place to cross the road while the cinema campaign will remind children of the importance of making sure they can be seen when they are out after dark.

In 2010 more than 19,500 children were injured on the roads and 55 were killed.

Mike Penning said:

"Britain's roads are among the safest in the world and the number of children killed or seriously injured is 72 per cent lower today than twenty years ago. However, every death on the roads is a tragedy and we are determined to reduce these numbers further.

"That is why - despite the need to cut the deficit - we are continuing to invest in child road safety campaigns to help children to understand the importance of crossing the road safely.

"The television and cinema advertising campaign we are launching today will help to give children the skills and knowledge they need to stay safe as they grow more independent."

Advertising in cinemas began today and television advertising will begin on Monday 17th October.

Learn more about child road safety and the Tales of the Road campaign, including road safety games and activity sheets for children at: talesoftheroad.direct.gov.uk

ACPO Summer Drink and Drug Driving Campaign Results
1 Aug 2011

West Midlands Police Traffic Unit officers participated in the ACPO Summer Drink and Drug Driving Campaign between 1 and 30 June 2011. During this time 415 breath tests were administered following collisions, with a further 1,289 breath tests which did not follow a collision. A total of 213 people either failed the test or failed or refused to provide a sample. 73 of those failing were aged under 25.

Inspector Mick Hartill of the Traffic Unit said:

"Once again West Midlands Police has invested resources into raising the profile of Drink and Drug Driving in the month of June, prior to the summer peak of offending and collisions.

"This is a year-round issue for drivers who make a conscious decision whether to risk causing death and serious injury or being prosecuted, imprisoned and disqualified from driving. Police and emergency services colleagues see the tragic outcome of drink driving on a regular basis and urge all drivers to err on the side of caution and not drive when their abilities are impaired.

"Police and Road Safety Partnership colleagues have mounted dedicated enforcement and education operations across the area during June to highlight the problem in younger and older drivers, during early morning rush hours and late in the evenings."

West Midlands Road Accident Review 2010
20 Jul 2011

Figures released today show a reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured on roads in the West Midlands during 2010. The annual West Midlands Road Accident Review presents personal injury accident data, trends and district profiles for the West Midlands. During 2010, approximately 24 people were killed or seriously injured every day on roads in the county. Other headline figures for 2010 show:

• 1,378 pedestrian casualties, of which 360 were killed or seriously injured;
• 542 pedal cyclist casualties, of which 104 were killed or seriously injured;
• 470 motorcyclist casualties, of which 132 were killed or seriously injured; and
• 1,070 child casualties, of which 173 were killed or seriously injured.

For more information, read the full report: West Midlands Road Accident Review 2010