Do you know who’s classed as a ‘vulnerable’ road user?
And – being totally honest – do you drive in a way that is mindful of their safety?
People who fall into this category include:
* Elderly people
* Children
* Cyclists
* Horse-riders
* Motorcyclists
* Pedestrians
* Mobility device users
Basically we all know someone who is classed as vulnerable on the road – whether that’s a grandparent, a child who walks to or from school, or somebody who likes to get out on their bike in our county’s stunning scenery.
It goes without saying that we’d be devastated if anything happened to them. Yet last year 623 vulnerable road users were injured as a result of collisions, with 281 of those either killed or seriously injured.
This is a chilling statistic. So what are we doing about it?
Next week (September 18th-24th) Lancashire Police will be supporting a week of action to clamp down on motorists who drive in a way which puts our vulnerable groups at even more risk. This will include people who commit the ‘fatal five’ offences of driving under the influence of drink or drugs, speeding, using a mobile phone at the wheel, not wearing a seatbelt or otherwise driving in a dangerous way.
And every day this week in the lead-up to the operation we’ll be posting more information on our social media pages - Lancashire Police on Facebook and @lancspolice on Twitter - about our vulnerable road users, with some dos and don’ts for sharing the road network with them.
The aim is to highlight who vulnerable road users are, the dangers posed to them by other road users and how we can all help make the roads safer for them.
Please share our posts with anyone you think needs to see them.
Ch Insp Matt Willmot, of the Lancashire Roads Policing Unit, said: “The term ‘vulnerable road user’ encompasses a huge proportion of our communities, and almost all of us will either fall into this category or will know someone who does.
“The statistics for collisions where vulnerable road users are killed or seriously injured are shocking, yet they have as much right to be safe on the road as anyone else.
“We know the majority of people drive safely and legally but for the minority who think they are above the law, we will be ramping up our daily business and directly targeting those who put themselves and other road users at risk.
“And if you need a bit of a refresher on keeping certain vulnerable groups safe, keep an eye on our social media pages this week as we’ll be sharing some hints and tips for safer driving.
“We would also encourage all road users, including cyclists and horse-riders, to use dashcam and to report any offences caught on camera to us through Op Snap.”
Recordings can be sent to us at https://unitedkingdom1cpp-portal.digital-policing.co.uk/lancashire/appeal/public-dashcam-submission
More information on Op Snap is here www.lancashire.police.uk/op-snap-public-submission-of-dashcam-footage-faqs/