Road safety campaign launched in Cheshire as restrictions set to lift

A road safety campaign urging road users to ‘Share The Road’ has been launched in Cheshire and calls upon the public to be kind and considerate to each other to help keep each other safe on the roads.

With the government no longer encouraging people to work from home from 19 July and the volume of traffic expected to increase, Cheshire’s emergency services are asking the public to look out for one another to prevent serious injury.

More than 280 people were seriously injured on Cheshire’s roads in 2020 – that’s more than five people per week and sadly … 29 people lost their lives.

The campaign, which has seen all partners from the Cheshire Road Safety Group come together, aims to raise awareness that all road users have the right to use the roads safely, regardless of how they choose to travel on it, and inconsiderate actions can have serious life-changing consequences for innocent road users.

Head of Cheshire Police’s Roads and Crime Unit, Superintendent Jon Betts, said: “It is really important that road users respect other people using the roads and be kind and considerate to each other. Every person using the roads is a human being with a story to tell. They also have people who care about them, waiting for them to arrive home safely.  Delivering that knock on the door to tell someone their loved one isn’t coming home is really hard for officers to do, but even harder to hear it.”

“Quite often road users will use multiple modes of transport throughout their lives, whether that be by car, motorcycle, pedal cycle, horse or on foot – yet the relationship between road users can often be quite fraught.”

“Throughout the pandemic we saw a lot more people take to the roads on their pedal cycles, or walking. With the expectation that people will keep up with their cycling and walking it is vital that all road users look out for one another to help keep each other safe and remember that everyone has the right to use the roads and come home safely.”

Road Safety Manager for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, Station Manager Andy Gray, said: “As a road user who uses multiple modes of transport myself, it concerns me that people can behave in a way that endangers others giving no consideration for the different ways that other road users use our roads.

“It costs nothing to be kind and considerate, an attitude that many people put into practice with other aspects of their lives but, for some reason, gets left behind when they travel on the roads. I would urge the public to adopt the ‘be kind’ ethos when they take to the roads and help make the roads safe for all.

“Firefighters have seen too many needless collisions occur because road users are not looking out for one another or feel like they have more right to be using the road than someone else. Collisions can have a lasting effect physically and mentally, not just for those involved but for all those left picking up the pieces. Be considerate when overtaking, take the time needed to look properly for other road users and remember we all Share The Road.”

Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, John Dwyer, said: “One death on our roads is one too many. We all have a responsibility to use the roads safely, and I echo the sentiments of everyone when they say to be kind to other road users. 

“No-one wants to have that dreaded knock on the door. I hope we can all learn and continue to embrace the community spirit the pandemic has helped to instil in one another and keep each other safe as life begins to return to the normality we’ve all craved for so long.”