17/03/2015
One hundred and ninety ‘Ride Safely’ information posters are currently being placed on roads around the County, Powys County Council has announced.
Not only do the posters act as a reminder to motorcyclists but they also highlight the presence of motorcyclists to all other road users. Additionally, since 2011, all of the posters also have a grid reference sticker and location marker on the back. It is hoped that if a motorcyclist is involved in a collision or breaks down, they can use the sticker to provide their exact location on unfamiliar roads.
The sticker comprises a 12-figure grid reference, which can be given to the emergency services control rooms, together with a description of the road number and route. These stickers were used to aid the emergency services with 5 collisions in the last financial year.
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06/03/2015
North Wales Police has made their first arrest under new drug driving legislation that came into force this week. At 8pm last night (Thursday March 5) police were called to a damage only road traffic collision on Newry Beach in Holyhead. Officers attended and tested the 19-year-old driver using the new drug-testing equipment.
He was then arrested on suspicion of drug driving and taken to police custody for further tests. He has since been released on police bail pending further enquiries. The new legislation came into force on Monday March 4 and now sets legal limits for how much of a substance – both illegal drugs and prescription medications motorists can have in their system whilst driving.
A new device, which has also been approved, now allows officers to test at the roadside using a swab from inside the driver’s mouth, to see if a motorist has taken cannabis or cocaine.
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02/03/2015
From today (2 March 2015) the drug driving law has changed to make it easier for the police to catch and convict drug drivers. It is now an offence to drive with certain drugs above a specified level in your blood - just as it is with drink driving. Sixteen legal and illegal drugs are covered by the law, including cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine.
The limits for all illegal drugs are extremely low – taking even a very small amount of an illegal drug could put you over the limit.
The new offence will work alongside the existing offence of driving whilst impaired through drink or drugs.
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27/02/2015
RoSPA’s second national Family Safety Week (2-7 March 2015) will focus on the theme of ‘Safer Cycling’. Martin Roberts, from Homes under the Hammer, and the double Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell OBE, will launch the Week at an event at Queensbridge School in Birmingham.
A different aspect of cycling safety will be covered on each day during the Week. On Tuesday the focus will be on the importance of choosing the right-sized bike for a child. Wednesday will look at cycling to school, Thursday will cover cycling to work and on Friday the spotlight will be on leisure cycling. The week will conclude on Saturday when the focus will be on sharing the road.
RoSPA will also use the event to launch the 2015 Family Safety Week National Cycling Survey, which will set out to shed light on the issues that are of most concern to cyclists, and those that may even stop people from cycling. Resources, other information and the survey will be published on the event’s new website which will goes live today
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04/02/2015
Senior drivers in Powys still have the opportunity to build their driving confidence further by taking part in a free assessment.
‘Drive On’ is a free assessment drive being offered by the council’s Road Safety Unit for people aged 55 and over or for those who need some support with building confidence in their driving, thanks to funding from the Welsh Government.
As part of the ‘Drive On’ assessment, participants can choose a Driving Instructor from a list supplied to them and telephone them to make a booking. They will meet the Instructor and drive for one hour – either in their car or the Instructors. During this confidential assessment, any safety issues will be discussed so that they can be improved upon.
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04/02/2015
On Monday 26th January pupils from Penllwyn Primary School were awarded certificates by Cllr David Carter, Mayor of Caerphilly for their efforts in creating artwork to slow drivers down.
The pupils were invited to Ty Penallta to showcase their posters to the Mayor, who thoroughly enjoyed the visit: “It is wonderful to see the brilliant artwork of pupils from Penllwyn Primary School. I hope that these posters will make drivers think of their speed when using the roads surrounding this school, as well as others”.
This follows the problem identified by Penllwyn Primary of speeding traffic, so in order to combat this problem they requested a 20MPH zone around their school.
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04/02/2015
With 3,400 miles of road, Powys has the largest road network in Wales and motorcyclists come from far and wide to enjoy our rural roads.
In 2014, 6 motorcyclists lost their lives as a result of a road traffic collision in the County and in excess of 25 motorcyclists received serious injuries. As one of the most vulnerable road users in Powys, the Council’s Road Safety Unit wants to reduce the number of motorcyclists involved in collisions.
The Unit has introduced a number of initiatives to help motorcyclists ride safely, thanks to funding from the Welsh Government.
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04/02/2015
Sixth form pupils from across south Powys have taken part in a road safety education event that was held in Brecon.
The event was held at Brecon’s high school and leisure centre and was organised by Powys County Council’s Road Safety Unit, working in partnership with Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Dyfed Powys Police and the Welsh Ambulance Service.
Collision SceneAimed at sixth form pupils aged 16-18 years, the event staged a collision scene where pupils were given the chance to see first-hand what the emergency services do when there is a fatal collision, including scene management and the extrication of ‘drivers’ of vehicles.
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20/01/2015
Over 480 drivers in Wales were caught over the drink drive limit during the All Wales Winter Anti Drink and Drug Driving Campaign. Throughout the month-long campaign 30,718 drivers throughout Wales were breath tested between 1st December 2014 and 1st January 2015.
Dyfed-Powys Police carried out 8,204 breath tests with 140 being positive. In Gwent a total of 2,203 breath tests were carried out, with 42 being positive. In North Wales Police officers tested 15,627 drivers, with 76 being positive, and South Wales Police administered 4684 tests with 230 positive results.
The campaign was launched with support from drink drive victim Dr Mark Boulcott, who lost his wife and was left disabled by a drink driver. Speaking on behalf of the Welsh forces, Deputy Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Police, and ACPO All Wales lead on Roads Policing Carl Langley said: "It is disappointing that 488 drivers throughout Wales chose to risk their own lives, and the lives of others during the campaign. We were clear in our messages throughout the campaign that drink or drug driving is not acceptable, and will not be tolerated. But those that chose to break the law and endanger themselves and other road users arrogantly were in the minority, and we thank the public that showed support for the campaign and were happy to co-operate.
"Drink driving ruins lives all year round, and our efforts to combat it continue throughout the year. We are asking the public in Wales to help us take these people off our roads, and report anyone you suspect of drink or drug driving.”
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19/01/2015
New average 50mph speed enforcement cameras on the M4 through Port Talbot have gone live.
The four cameras were installed in October on a two-mile stretch and during a trial period hundreds of motorists a day were found to be ignoring the speed limit. Enforcement action will come into force from today.
It will be the first permanent installation to go into operation on a Welsh section of the motorway.
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