Safe Speed Forums

Have just found this site, and joined.
I am vice chairperson for RoadPeace Lancashire, we are 'concerned about death and injury on our roads', and we have all lived through the horror of losing loved ones.
Our head office and many of the branches spend much time campaining for what they believe is needed to prevent these deaths from happening. BUT, our local group are not so sure that some of the reasons are the right ones. Then I found this site. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT IDEA. WELL DONE.
I need, we need, all the help and support we can get to get the message over that we need to find the RIGHT reasons and be given the CORRECT information to make people aware.
I shall be giving this site address to EVERYONE I come in contact with, and will support you along with my group.
I have already lost a husband and 7 year old son to a car crash, and know first hand about the trauma it puts many, many people through. BUT, I also know that the reasons we are given , and the causes we are told contribute to these accidents, are not always what they seem.
I would like to help. Please help us.
Well done.

Welcome !!

I have regular contact with RoadPeace, the support they offer families of those killed on the roads is fantastic.

Must admit though, I do wince regularly when I hear your national people keep calling for lower limits rather than better driving...perhaps the grass roots can put some pressure upwards ?

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Never point a speedmeter at a civil or military aircraft, vessel or armoured vehicle. Many military aircraft, vehicles or vessels have target acquisition detectors, some of which initiate automatic counter measures.
Association of Chief Police Officers

Applies to the Police as well, the Traffic Police i have had contact with have different views to their senior officers - Brunstrom etc.

To echo cotswold, welcome belladonna. It's nice to hear someone from Roadpeace recognise that we should have a lot of common ground.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

Welcome belladonna. Nice to have a rep from Road Peace aboard as well. We all know there is a lot more to road safety than a single issue - and - yes - like my colleague, cotswold , we do work with RoadPeace and Brake because their input to accident victims regardless of blame is important and constructive.

However, we acknowledge that speed limits and strict adherence to a speed limit is not the answer - and the single focus on this one point is not overly constructive. This appears to show in the figures: we do not believe in speed cameras as such in our force and we are the only force to show a decrease in KSIs. Lancashire, as you know became less draconian in prosecutions and extended the speed course - and it has paid off with a massive improvement 2003 to 2004. It would seem then that an intelligent and advice packed approach - emphasising COAST appears to work better than one single focus issue. The single focus on speed regions appeared to show KSI increases or at best static results




Please do. We need a higher profile of COAST anyway. We give COAST tips when we stop drivers as a matter of routine and we tell our customers to check out this site too.





I am sorry to hear your news. It is never easy and I always hated having to knock on someone's door in my early days on the job. I'd see photos of the victim around the house ... and reactions were always difficult - from rage, grief, denial, - and causes as you say are never as clear cut as some like to think - have never yet investigated an incident whereby causes were identical: each is unique to its own set of circumstances and contributory factors.

I still think a stiffer L-test and refresher assessments, focusing on COAST principles throughout a driver's lifetime would help prevent a good many of these accidents.

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Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

In Gear wrote -



Odd thing is, I find it harder now after 15 years in than I did when I first started - or to be exact, in the last 6 years since our daughter was born. Somehow telling someone their son/daughter had been killed seemed detached when I was younger, you could get round it afterwards using the well known black sense of homour on most reliefs. Now, however, I just keep thinking what if that was someone knocking on my door...

I guess thats why a lot of coppers, especially in traffic, are so passionate about getting things changed. We tend to see more of death and injury than the rest of the force, so are closer to the consequences of our actions.



Most senior police have different views to the North Wales Village Idiot. I've been told that at ACPO do's etc he's about as popular as clap in a nunnery. And that comment came from an ACC !!

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Never point a speedmeter at a civil or military aircraft, vessel or armoured vehicle. Many military aircraft, vehicles or vessels have target acquisition detectors, some of which initiate automatic counter measures.
Association of Chief Police Officers

Absolutely brilliant to hear from you. Welcome. I'm really really pleased to have made the contact.

If you want to phone for a chat I'm on 01862 832000. I'll be back in the office around noon on Tuesday (flights permitting).

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I echo everyone else - welcome belladonna. All here are enthusiastic drivers and even more enthusiastic about safety too.





Add my condolences to thos already given. I nearly lost my wife in a car crash many years ago. All here know the story - she was stationary - man was taken ill, huit the accelerator and hit her car with force. She survived, fortunately made a full recovery, drives a car and drives me around the bend, but that moment the police came to tell me about it is engraved on my memory. I remember that he was very kind and supportive - and he drove me to my wife's side and even waited with me for news. I also learned from my wife that the police officer at the crash scene also kept her alive by trying to keep her warm and talking to her calmly. Just another reason why I support my local BiBs. And want to see more of them on the road.

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If you want to get to heaven - you have to raise a little hell!

Smilies are contagious
They are just like the flu
We use our smilies on YOU today
Now Good Causes are smiling too!

KEEP SMILING
It makes folk wonder just what you REALLY got up to last night!

Smily to penny.. penny to pound
safespeed prospers-smiles all round! !
But the real message? SMILE.. GO ON ! DO IT! and the world will smile with you!
Enjoy life! You only have the one bite at it.

Thanks for your reply. Yes,we do try our best to support families in the aftermath, but would be able to do more, if we were in a position to help earlier. We need the knowledge of the accidents direct from the police within the first few days, and the families need to know that we are here. It seems that in some areas this is not happening.
You say that you wince regulary when you here our national people calling for lower limits. I agree with you, and even though our group may be the only one that feels this way, then so be it. Living in an illusion that something works is not going to help save future lives.
Please work with us, to help educate the rest.
Thanks
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I can only agree with all you say. Yes, I lived through all those emotions, and can relate to all you say. But that was then, and now is now. If we are going to prevent these feelings from 'falling' on other doorsteps, then we have to look constructively at the reasons whey they happen, and this means leaving our emotions and grief behind. I am sorry to say that some of the people that supposed to be doing this for RoadPeace are blinkered, and still looking for the 'reasons' why their accident happened. This is fine on a personal level, but if we are to progress as a complete group then we have to go down every avenue and look at every aspect.
And this means looking at everything, together, in an objective way.
[/quote]

Odd thing is, I find it harder now after 15 years in than I did when I first started - or to be exact, in the last 6 years since our daughter was born. Somehow telling someone their son/daughter had been killed seemed detached when I was younger, you could get round it afterwards using the well known black sense of homour on most reliefs. Now, however, I just keep thinking what if that was someone knocking on my door...

I guess thats why a lot of coppers, especially in traffic, are so passionate about getting things changed. We tend to see more of death and injury than the rest of the force, so are closer to the consequences of our actions.

I can relate to what you have. Because we lived in a very small village, the policeman that told me was a friend, and a father. It changed his life and way of thinking.
One thing that I am very keen to promote is that when a life is lost, it effects so many people, police, fire service, ambulance, schools, clergy, funeral directors, GP's, the list goes on and on. Each one of these people are only doing their job, and have families of their own. Groups like this and RoadPeace need to look closer at many aspects from the results of an accident.
Keep in touch please. More talk, more knowledge.

Thankyou.
I am sorry to hear about all the grief you and your wife have been through. It must have been a nightmare.
I wish more people that have been through this would talk in a positive way about how the emergency services helped them through this experience. many only seem to remember the negative things. Yes, there are mistakes, and we need to know what they are so they are not repeated. But there are also possitive responses and they need to be acknowledged.

Please accept a warm welcome from me Belladonna.

I'm very sorry to hear of your sad loss, and I would really like to play some part in making such tragedies much less frequent.

Yes we do need to look at everything, and we need to do that together, taking account of all viewpoints. You will probably find yourself uncomfortable with some of my views at times, but you may also find there are some useful elements in there. Certainly I hope so.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

Thanks Dave,
I may well 'find some of your views uncomfortable at times', but if they give us answers then that is all that matters. Burying our heads in the sand, and 'taking the hump' is not going to help either.
Best wishes.

My deepest sympathy for your loss
There are a lot of good sensible people on this site who I believe wish to see a return to sensible policing. And the end to policing for profit.