"It Wouldn't Kill You" - Cumbria's road safety campaign
A major countywide campaign to cut the number of deaths and serious injuries on Cumbria’s roads was launched on 29th March 2004 at the Rheged Discovery Centre, near Penrith.
The “It Wouldn’t Kill You” campaign is being driven by 'Safer Roads For Cumbria', a unique partnership between:
- Cumbria County Council
- Highways Agency
- Cumbria Constabulary
- Capita (Road Safety)
- Cumbria Chamber of Commerce
- The Primary Care Trusts
- Freight Transport Association
- Road Haulage Association
- Cumbria Safety Cameras
It aims to change the attitudes to road safety in the county. The campaign is not an alternative to existing road safety initiatives, but a joint and co-ordinated approach to reinforce and strengthen the road safety message in Cumbria.
“It Wouldn’t Kill You” highlights many of the factors affecting road accidents including, for example, drink and drugs, use of mobile phones, in-car distractions, road conditions and inappropriate speed. This is an overall approach to road safety, which will target all road users with the single aim of reducing deaths and injuries on the roads. 'At risk' groups have been identified from the statistics, and the Safer Roads for Cumbria group is working together to increase awareness of these groups as to how they can drive more safely.
The first phase of the campaign focuses on motorbike riders, and this will be followed by road safety messages for van drivers, haulage drivers and other road users at different times throughout the year, linking in with national road safety campaigns. A new Cumbria Road Safety Award of the Year with categories dedicated to key groups (e.g. HGV, LSV, PSV, etc) is planned for later in the year, to coincide with the emphasis of the campaign turning to lorry and coach drivers. The launch of the campaign also highlights Cumbria Chamber of Commerce’s initiative to get businesses to sign up to the Safe Driver Scheme, which provides on-line road safety tests, designed by Driving Logic.
The first of these interactive tests, for motorcyclists, is now available online and you can access it via the link below. The test only takes a few minutes, but it could save your life!