Focus on young drivers and motorcyclists is helping to reduce casualties on Highland Roads

A partnership focus on young drivers and motorcyclists is helping to reduce casualties on Highland Roads.

Whilst the cost in suffering caused by road traffic collisions is immeasurable, in economic terms, each fatality on the roads costs on average £1.8 million and each serious casualty costs an average of £206,000.

The Highland Council has a statutory duty to prepare and carry out a programme of measures designed to promote road safety. The Council works with partners in the Highland Road Safety Group to use the Road Safety Intervention measures of Educations, Engineering, Encouragement, Enforcement and Partnership Working.  The lead agencies including the Highland Council, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Bear Scotland, use these interventions across a range of road safety measures.

Young drivers (17-25) are a high priority for Highland Council. The Highland Council Road Safety Unit actively promotes, supports and coordinates road safety education measures including Go Safe with Ziggy; Streetsense; Bikeability; Safe Highlander; Junior Road Safety Officer Scheme; Theatre in Education; Your Call; Crash Magnets and Safer Routes to School . The vast majority of Highland schools are taking part in road safety education.

Statistics presented to the Communities and Partnerships Committee show a steady decrease in motorcycle and young driver casualties over recent years.

Chair of the Committee, Cllr Hamish Fraser said: “Even one single road death or serious injury is one too many, but the downward trend in these casualties is a welcome sign that the road safety work being done by partner agencies is having a positive impact. Education plays a key role in getting the messages across at an early age and these initiatives are clearly very important in helping to reduce tragedies into the future.”

A road safety seminar is to be held in the Spring of 2016 for elected Members and Community Councils.

The work of the Road Safety Unit can be seen on their website at http://www.highland.gov.uk/info/20005/roads_and_pavements/87/road_safety

Information on road safety education resources can be found at www.road-safety.org.uk