Council launch new road safety plan
Orkney Islands Council has published the new road safety plan for the next four years.
The Road Safety Strategy 2016 – 2020 sets out how the OIC, along with partner agencies, will achieve the targets set out by the Scottish Government for improving road safety.
The strategy aims to reduce the number of road crashes and road casualties on the islands and is also, says the council, a tool to enable and encourage safe and sustainable travel.
The five main objectives of the strategy are:
- Education – increase the competence and road safety awareness of all road users.
- Engineering – prepare and carry out a programme of measures designed to promote road safety.
- Enforcement – combat areas that cause accidents such as driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, speeding and seatbelt non compliance.
- Encouragement – encourage good road safety practice so everyone in Orkney can work together to make our roads safer.
- Evaluation – monitor aims and objectives.
The Road Safety Forum, an inter-agency partnership group that meets quarterly, was the main body behind the production of the Road Safety Strategy for Orkney.
Councillor Andrew Drever, forum chairman, said: “The multi-agency approach in producing the Strategy shows the measures which have been successful in promoting road safety awareness in Orkney – but we as a community can never be complacent.
“The major contributing factors to serious accidents are drink driving, speeding, not wearing a seatbelt and the use of mobile phones and other distractions. It is the responsibility of us all to be safe when driving – let’s work together to make our roads safer.”
The strategy is available online, here.