Road Safety Wales welcomes a new Chair and Vice Chair
Road Safety Wales, the partnership between Welsh local authorities, emergency services, GoSafe, the Welsh Government and RoSPA, is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Chair, Rhys John-Howes and Vice Chair, Kayleigh Tonkins.
The partnership is extremely grateful to the outgoing Chair, Teresa Ciano for her leadership for the past six years and her dedication to road safety; we wish her every success for the future.
The new appointments bring a wealth of road safety experience and knowledge to their roles. Rhys John-Howes has been employed in the road safety sector since 2002 and as a Road Safety Officer for Carmarthenshire County Council arrives with a commitment to sustaining co-operation and interaction between all key partners across Wales.
On his appointment, Rhys said: "With almost 23 years of experience in the road safety field, I am deeply passionate about reducing casualties on our roads, and I am honoured to have been appointed as Chair of Road Safety Wales. I look forward to continuing our collective efforts as a partnership to protect our residents and visitors, especially our most vulnerable road users".
Although the last decade has seen a 47% reduction in the total number of road casualties in Wales, progress on the number of those killed or seriously injured has unfortunately remained stubbornly static. Together, as a nation and as local communities, we can lower the number of collisions on our roads and save lives.
Kayleigh Tonkins brings eight years of road safety expertise to the role of Vice Chair, having held the position of Road Safety Officer at Ceredigion County Council since 2016. Both colleagues have demonstrated a firm belief in the benefits of partnership working, having been regular and valued contributors to national initiatives.
Working across a range of road safety education, training and publicity projects, partners in Road Safety Wales support the partnership’s mission: To further casualty reduction through collaborative working.
We all have a responsibility to use the roads legally and safely, while showing consideration and courtesy to other road users. Every injury or fatality on our roads is unacceptable and often has a devastating effect on those involved, as well as friends and loved ones. We are proud to have some of the safest roads in the world, but that is still not enough. By working together, it is hoped that we can make further improvements and ensure that everyone gets home safely.