Blackburn with Darwen Council is supporting Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death), a road safety initiative held annually in September.
From Monday 13 – Friday 17 September the campaign will feature three national road trips, a series of events and a new Safe Speeds Day as organisers showcase how a Safe System is being put to good use across the country.
The theme this year is Fit for the Road and the three road trips will start in Ely, Dundee and Plymouth. Each will be driven in an electric car and will set out to highlight examples of good practice in techniques, policies and strategies that reflect the principles of the Safe System, a umbrella term for approaches such as Vision Zero, Sustainable Safety and Towards Zero.
Blackburn with Darwen Executive Member for Wellbeing Cllr Damian Talbot said:
“Road safety is an important issue for our borough and the Council is committed to making the roads safer for all residents, especially more vulnerable road users. Road use, speed and using roadsides all could be improved with safer habits, and everyone needs to do their bit to help minimise avoidable incidents on our roads.”
Simon Turner, operations manager for Project EDWARD, said: “We look forward to seeing and sharing some great examples of work by the emergency services as well as by hospitals, highways agencies, local authorities and companies that promote the Safe System’s key objectives.”
A ‘Safe Speeds Day’, on Wednesday 15 September, will be coordinated by NRPOII (the National Roads Policing Operations Intelligence and Investigation) and will see police forces across the UK deploying officers for high-profile speed checks. This will be backed up by enforcement from camera vans and Community SpeedWatch groups, with high levels of advance publicity to remind drivers and riders to be aware of the speeds they choose.
Talking about the day, Simon Turner added: “Excessive or inappropriate speed is a factor in nearly half of all fatal road collisions. The purpose of a national safe speeds day is to remind drivers of the risks they face – and the risks they pose to other road users – when they choose to drive above the speed limit or at speeds that are inappropriate for the conditions or the type of road they are using.
“Every road death is preventable, so our goal for this operation is to have a day when no one has died on the road – because we were all willing to be more careful, more thoughtful and more considerate.”
Since it was established in 2016, Project EDWARD has enjoyed growing engagement on social media platforms. It trended globally on Twitter in its very first year, while in 2020 it reached an impressive 56 million thanks to social platforms.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council and the National Fire Chiefs Council are involved, and the event is also supported by the Government, Highways England, GoSafe Wales, Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
For more information on the Safe System, visit: