Choosing and fitting the right child car seat can seem very confusing, especially given the wide range of different types of seats on the market. To help parents and carers select the seat that matches the weight and height of the child, and avoid the most common fitting problems, RoSPA has produced 16 short films. It is not necessary to watch them all, simply click the title of the one(s) that match your personal circumstances.
To view the films click here or go to childcarseats.org.uk/films where you will find all the information you need about child car seats.
The Welsh Government has issued an annual report which includes information on age and sex of casualty, type of road, speed limit, location of pedestrian when hit, type of vehicle involved and time of accident.
Casualties by type of road user and severity, 2016. 1,108 KSI in 2016, of which: 45% cars; 23% motorbikes; 18% pedestrians; 10% pedal cyclists; 4% other. 5,745 slight in 2016, of which; 72% cars; 7% motorbikes; 10% pedestrians; 6% pedal cyclists; 5% other.
Britax Römer has issued a voluntary recall of certain classicDUALFIX child car seats due to a potential safety issue with a component in these seats.
The potentially affected component was used in production batches sold between 3rd November 2017 and 22nd March 2018. Parents who purchased a DUALFIX during that time can go to https://www.dualfix-check.com/ to check if their seat is impacted by the voluntary recall and for further information.
Britax Römer has identified the cause of this potential issue and can confirm that DUALFIX car seats outside the batch involved are not affected. The specific component is not used in any other Britax Römer products, including all other versions of the DUALFIX.
An annual education event which prepares children for the transition into secondary school has been attended by almost 1,000 year six students from Torfaen.
The 'Crucial Crew' teaches children about personal safety, sustainability, recycling and other skills which could be beneficial to them in new educational surroundings.
Pupils took part in a series of workshops from agencies such as Torfaen Council’s Road Safety and waste teams, South Wales Fire and Rescue, Fly Tipping Action Wales, Food Standards Agency Wales, Network Rail, Western Power, Sight Cymru, RNLI, The Samaritans, and the Dogs Trust.
Winter is finally over (despite the white stuff still lying around!), and summer is just around the corner, with the clocks going forward on Sunday 25 March at 1.00 am. With the beginning of British Summer Time we can look forward to lighter mornings and evenings, with journeys to and from work in daylight instead of winter darkness.
All good news, except that there are few things to bear in mind for that first Monday morning drive into work:
It is only a difference of an hour, but if you are driving when you would normally be asleep you could be drowsy. Be aware of this and make sure that you are fully awake and alert before beginning your journey.
Initially the mornings will be darker, with the potential for the rising sun to be low in the sky and dazzling to all drivers.
Make sure your car windows and mirrors are smear free to prevent dazzle, and make good use of the sun visors.
Don’t forget that everyone will be struggling with the low sun, so take your time and keep your distance.
With the lighter evenings there may be more children out playing on their bikes, or playing in or around the roads. Reduce your speed in residential areas to give yourself more time to stop if the need arises.
The latest drink driving campaign is targeting young men aged 17-34 years, and is calling upon peers to influence their friends not to drink and drive.
‘A mate doesn’t let a mate drink drive’ encourages young men to tell their mate that drink driving isn’t cool, in a non-preachy way.
The radio advert, Mates Matter, will run across a number of radio stations in England and Wales and on Spotify.
Police Forces across Wales are working together to deliver the All Wales Seatbelt Campaign, warning drivers they are risking their lives by not wearing belts, and cracking down on motorists and passengers who refuse to belt up.
Not wearing a seatbelt can be a fatal decision even on short, familiar journeys and at low speeds. As a driver you are responsible for ensuring that passengers under the age of 14 are wearing a seatbelt, or using the correct child restraint for their height and age.
Although most road users are fully aware of the potential consequences of not wearing a seatbelt, police officers throughout Wales will be clamping down on those who continue to ignore the law, endangering all road users.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has published a call for evidence on ways to make cycling and walking safer while also increasing cycling and walking. RoSPA is pleased that the consultation covers both pedestrians and cyclists because, together, they accounted for 550 road accident deaths in Great Britain in 2016 – 31 per cent of the overall total.
RoSPA strongly supports measures that encourage healthy and sustainable travel. The key to increasing cycling and walking, and so gaining all the health and environmental benefits that result, is to create a safe on and off-road environment, improve road user attitudes and behaviour towards each other and produce safer vehicles that reduce the risk to those most vulnerable when involved in a collision. Improvements in road design, speed reduction measures and improved training and education would have a strong safety benefit for both cyclists and pedestrians.
Nick Lloyd, road safety manager at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said: “We are really pleased that the call for evidence recognises the importance of a ‘safe systems approach’ as a way of protecting vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. It is an unfortunate reality that as humans we do make mistakes and when this happens it should not result in death or life-changing injury.
While conditions are very bad, and the emergency services and the Welsh Government are recommending that people don’t travel, avoid making your journey unless it is absolutely necessary. Of course, what is ‘essential’ to one person may not be to another, but try to be realistic about which journeys are essential and which ones could be postponed. If you decide you really must travel:
Let someone know where you are going and what time you hope to arrive, so that they can raise the alarm if you get into difficulties.
Plan alternative routes in case your main choice(s) becomes impassable.
Keep your fuel tank near to full to ensure that you do not run out.
Make sure you have a fully charged mobile phone, so you can call for help or alert someone if you’re delayed – it could be a long walk to a phone, if you don’t have a mobile phone.
If you don’t have an emergency kit in your vehicle, at least take extra warm clothes, boots and a torch.
Consider keeping a couple of long-life energy bars in the glove box.
Clear your windows and mirrors completely of snow and ice before you set off (make sure the heater is blowing warm air before setting off – it will keep your windscreen clear.)
If you find yourself driving in snow or on icy or snow covered roads, adapt your driving to these conditions:
Reduce your speed. The chances of skidding are much greater and your stopping distance will increase massively.
Only travel at a speed at which you can stop within the distance you can see to be clear. Speed limits are the maximum in ideal conditions; in difficult conditions, they can often be too fast.
Avoid harsh braking and acceleration, or sharp steering.
Always reduce your speed smoothly and in plenty of time on slippery surfaces.
Slow down in plenty of time before bends and corners.
Braking on an icy or snow covered bend is extremely dangerous. The centrifugal force will continue to pull you outwards and the wheels will not grip very well. This could cause your vehicle to spin.
To slow down on ice and snow, lift the gas early to allow the speed to drop sufficiently to select a lower gear. If you need to use the brakes, use very gentle pressure depressing the clutch early to avoid stalling the engine.
Increase the gap between you and the vehicle in front. You may need up to TEN TIMES the normal distance for braking.
Keep your vehicle well-ventilated. The car heater turned up full can quickly make you drowsy.
In snow, stop frequently to clean the windows, wheel arches, lights and number plates.
Visibility will probably be reduced, so use dipped headlights.
During wintry weather, road surfaces are often wet and/or covered in frost and ice or snow. But this does not occur uniformly. A road will often have isolated patches of frost or ice after most of the road has thawed – this commonly occurs under bridges.
From Monday 4 June 2018, learner drivers will be able to take driving lessons on motorways in England, Scotland and Wales. This will help to make sure more drivers know how to use motorways safely. At the moment, you can only have motorway lessons after you’ve passed your driving test.
Learner drivers will need to be accompanied by an approved driving instructor in a car fitted with dual controls. Any motorways lessons will be voluntary, and it will be up to the driving instructor to decide when the learner driver is competent enough for them.
Until the law changes, it’s still illegal for a learner driver to drive on a motorway, and the changes only apply to learner drivers of cars; learner motorcyclists won’t be allowed on motorways.
Choosing and fitting the right child car seat can seem very confusing, especially given the wide range of different types of seats on the market. To help parents and carers select the seat that matches the weight and height of the child, and avoid the most common fitting problems, RoSPA has produced 16 short films. It is not necessary to watch them all, simply click the title of the one(s) that match your personal circumstances.
The Welsh Government has issued an annual report which includes information on age and sex of casualty, type of road, speed limit, location of pedestrian when hit, type of vehicle involved and time of accident.
Britax Römer has issued a voluntary recall of certain classic DUALFIX child car seats due to a potential safety issue with a component in these seats.
An annual education event which prepares children for the transition into secondary school has been attended by almost 1,000 year six students from Torfaen.
Winter is finally over (despite the white stuff still lying around!), and summer is just around the corner, with the clocks going forward on Sunday 25 March at 1.00 am. With the beginning of British Summer Time we can look forward to lighter mornings and evenings, with journeys to and from work in daylight instead of winter darkness.
Police Forces across Wales are working together to deliver the All Wales Seatbelt Campaign, warning drivers they are risking their lives by not wearing belts, and cracking down on motorists and passengers who refuse to belt up.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has published a call for evidence on ways to make cycling and walking safer while also increasing cycling and walking. RoSPA is pleased that the consultation covers both pedestrians and cyclists because, together, they accounted for 550 road accident deaths in Great Britain in 2016 – 31 per cent of the overall total.
While conditions are very bad, and the emergency services and the Welsh Government are recommending that people don’t travel, avoid making your journey unless it is absolutely necessary. Of course, what is ‘essential’ to one person may not be to another, but try to be realistic about which journeys are essential and which ones could be postponed. If you decide you really must travel:
From Monday 4 June 2018, learner drivers will be able to take driving lessons on motorways in England, Scotland and Wales. This will help to make sure more drivers know how to use motorways safely. At the moment, you can only have motorway lessons after you’ve passed your driving test.