A road safety summit has been taking place today (Friday) called by the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner in a bid to reduce the carnage on Lincolnshire’s roads.
A first for the county, the event, held at Belton Woods Hotel, near Grantham, has seen Marc Jones invite various road safety experts in the field to share ideas and initiatives being showcased at the summit, which would also feature a comment by the Minister of State for Transport John Hayes.
Other experts giving presentations include officials from road safety charity Brake, the public health division of Lincolnshire County Council, officers from South Wales Police showcasing Operation Snap, which draws on drivers’ dashcam footage to crack down on ioffending motorists, advisers and analysts from Road Safety Analysis Ltd and Road Safety Support Ltd, and Lincolnshire own Road Safety Partnership.
Nearly 100 delegates from across the region were there for the event organised by the PCC’s office in conjunction with Lincolnshire Police and Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership
“Although much good work has been done over the past decade to reduce the death toll on our roads it is a sad fact that there are still too many families devastated by the tragic loss of life,” said Mr Jones.
“Despite a spike in lives lost last year it is important to remember that deaths have reduced by 50 per cent in the last decade – in no small measure due to the good work done by the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership.
“But they cannot solve the problems alone and that is why I have called the summit. I am determined that we all learn from experience elsewhere, exploring innovation and seeing whether we can extend schemes that already have a proven track record.
“There will be no easy solutions but that should not stop us doing everything we can to keep our communities safe.”
In his opening address, Mr Jones said this summit was in the pursuit of excellence, not in response to a crisis, saying: “In the past two decades, road deaths in the UK have halved from 3,599 to less than 1,800 and here in Lincolnshire, up until last year, that trend has been replicated.”
He said: “Despite the work already done, it’s a sad fact that there are still too many families devastated by the tragic loss of life on our roads. Every single digit that marks our spreadsheets represents a family ripped apart by the sudden and pointless loss of a parent, a son, a daughter or grandparent.”
He was passionate about keeping our communities safe and committed to reducing poor driving and road casualties.