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Green Flags poll reveals support for moves to reduce speed limits around schools
Motoring assistance provider Green Flag has added its voice to the recent debate on speed reforms with research that reveals that a majority of people support reduced speed limits, in particular on roads around schools.
A poll on the companys website at www.greenflag.com registered more than 1,500 votes with almost three-quarters (72 per cent) saying they supported the reduction of speed limits to 20mph on busy roads around schools.
Green Flags research backs moves by Edinburgh, North and Leith MP Marc Lazarowicz MP to introduce a Bill on road safety that seeks to give local authorities to power to extend the coverage of 20mph zones.
In his bill, Mr Lazarowicz stated that, notwithstanding the measures to improve road safety taken by the Government and many local authorities, there were still too many people who die or are injured on our roads every year, adding that the toll was particularly high among pedestrians and cyclists in urban areas, particularly child pedestrians.
Mr Lazarowiczs proposals would encourage local authorities and the Government to take measures that would result in a significant drop in the number of people killed and severely injured on the roads by focusing on speed, as excessive speed is a major contributory factor to the death toll on our roads.
Mr Lazarowicz proposed that local authorities had the option of introducing an approach that would enable forward-thinking councils to adopt a broader, strategic approach to speed management, which was denied to them by existing legislation.
In his ten-minute bill, introduced to the Commons on June 24 he said extending the coverage of 20mph zones would be one of the most effective ways of reducing the death and injury toll on urban roads. Research on existing zones has shown that in the year after their introduction, accidents resulting in injuries fell by an average of 61 per cent and accidents resulting in injuries to children fell by 67 per cent.
Green Flag spokesperson Nigel Charlesworth said: The results of our poll clearly indicates general support for moves to introduce speed controls -- in particular in those areas, around schools for example, which are high-risk in terms of accidents involving children going to and from school."
Green Flag Motoring Assistance serves almost 5m motorists and is a sponsor of Road Safety Week 2003 (September 22-28). Full details are available from www.brake.org.uk.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Road Casualty figures published on June 26 show that there were 302,605 road casualties in Great Britain in 2002, three per cent fewer than in 2001. Some 39,407 people were killed or seriously injured in 2002, three per cent below the 2001 figure.
Some 3,431 people were killed, a fall of under one per cent compared to 2001, 35,976 were seriously injured (down three per cent on 2001) and 263,198 were slightly injured (down four per cent). Road traffic levels were three per cent higher than in 2001 and consequently, the casualty rate per 100 million vehicle kilometres was 6 per cent lower than in 2001.
There were 221,751 road accidents involving personal injury in 2002, three per cent less than in 2001. Of these, 33,645 accidents involved death or serious injury.
Green Flag Motoring Assistance provides roadside rescue and recovery to almost 5m customers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Green Flags incident management centre in Leeds handles around 1m calls each year.
On average, Green Flag reaches customers within 35 minutes (verified by research)
Customers have access to a national network of independent recovery agents and 6,000 qualified technicians.
More than 90 per cent get assistance within the hour.
Green Flag Motoring Assistance insurance products are underwritten by UK Insurance Ltd, a member of the General Insurance Standards Council
Press Calls
For further information contact Nigel Charlesworth or Melanie Denny at Green Flag on 0113 399 1427/1387 (out of hours 07711 964 615).
Public-relations@greenflag.com www.greenflag.com
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