Project EDWARD: Let's Make 21st September a European Day Without a Road Death
The first European Day Without A Road Death is taking place across Europe on Wednesday 21 September. Devised as Project EDWARD by the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL), the initiative seeks to draw attention to the average of 70 deaths occurring every day on the roads of Europe.
UK support for Project EDWARD comes from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), Road Safety GB, Road Safety Scotland, Road Safety Wales, the Automobile Association and many public and private organisations.
TISPOL believes it’s vital to gain the support of national governments, as well as winning the hearts and minds of individual road users, in order to bring about sustained and significant reductions in death and injury on Europe’s roads.
Call for government support
TISPOL is urging national governments to ensure road casualty reduction is a priority.
TISPOL President Chief Superintendent Aidan Reid comments: “There have been some excellent reductions in road deaths and serious injuries earlier in this decade, but they have stalled in the past couple of years. It is therefore vital that we re-focus our attention on the efforts needed to get back on course in order to have a chance of achieving the European 2020 targets.
“We believe strongly in the value of setting targets, and we believe that the strong leadership from governments can make a massive difference in reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.”
Gaining the support of individual road users is also vital, according to Susan Storch, Chair of Road Safety Wales:
“Road traffic collisions can have tragic consequences for those involved and their families, we all have a responsibility to try to stop these unnecessary deaths”
“Our aspiration is zero road fatalities, not just on 21 September, but every day. Project EDWARD will help to raise awareness of this ambitions goal and will encourage road users to think more carefully about the way they drive, ride, or cross the road.”
Chief Superintendent Aidan Reid continued, “Each day, an average of 70 people across Europe will set off on road journeys, but they won’t make it home. On 21 September – and every day – please think about how you can reduce risk by always wearing a seatbelt, keeping to speeds that are both legal and appropriate for the conditions, not driving after drinking alcohol or taking drugs, and not using a mobile phone at the wheel.
“If everyone commits to making small changes, then the road safety improvements will be huge and we will achieve big reductions in the number of people who are killed or seriously injured.”
Please support Project EDWARD and sign the pledge at www.tispol.org/edward/pledge.