County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service is lending support to the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) National Road Safety Day on 6 July 2012. Fire crews will be engaging with members of the general public at Asda stores around the area and Halfords in Darlington to pass on some key road safety messages including – Only a Fool Breaks the 2 Second Rule.
Lee Howell, CFOA President said, “I am delighted that CFOA is leading on this important road safety initiative. Despite the success over the recent years in reducing the number of RTC’s, there are still an average of 5 deaths and 65 serious injuries on theUKroads each day.”
Road Safety sits high on the agenda for all Fire and Rescue Services. Andrew Allison, Senior Community Safety Officer for the Service said “There are still too many avoidable injuries and deaths on our roads.  The Fire and Rescue Service, working closely with the Police, Local Authorities and other partners, are continually delivering road safety education to young people and adults to instil behaviours that will keep them and others safe.  More people die on the roads than in fires and that is why we devote a lot of our time and resources to changing peoples’ attitudes towards road safety and in particular driving safely.  The 2 second rule is an easy to remember tip – If you are closer than two seconds away from the car in front, then you are taking a risk, it is that simple!”
At a national level, responsibility for road safety sits within the Prevention, Protection and Road Safety Directorate. Dave Curry, Director of PPRS said, “25% of all fire and rescue service call outs are to road traffic collisions. Everyday our fire crews deal with the traumatic aftermath of appalling road accidents, which are preventable. As a result of this experience and our positive relationship with the public, the fire and rescue service is ideally placed to deliver road safety messages.”
Dave Etheridge, CFOA Lead for Road Safety said, “Too many people drive far too close to the car in front and don’t allow enough time to brake safely. A recent Brake and Direct Line survey discovered that 53% of those questioned admit to breaking the 2 second rule on motorways. Don’t forget to keep your distance and drive according to the weather conditions