Road safety message in Horsham

Crews from West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service along with the Road Safety Policing Team were joined by members of Horsham Wellbeing and other local charities last Thursday at County Hall North, in Chart Way, as they tried to spread the message on how people can keep safe on the roads especially through the dark winter months.

Road Safety Week is a national campaign set up by the charity Brake which aims to get more people around the country to think about how to keep safe when using the roads.

Assistant chief fire office Gavin Watts said: “Today is about Fire and Rescue Service in West Sussex supporting the national campaign by Brake which is a road safety charity.”

“Their campaign is all about making sure that road users are more considerate to each other and in that way we hope we can reduce the number of incidents that occur on our roads that have such tragic consequences.”

The main aim of the exhibition was to teach people working at the council more about road safety not just to benefit themselves but also the people they may meet in their day to day work.

Horsham fire station manager, Richard Davy said:“We are keeping our own in line first. It is very important. It is all about promoting awareness to everybody.

“It is about preparing people for the winter months ahead and making sure they are safe on the roads.”

Despite the fact that some of the exhibitions were only open to council staff there were still stalls on display in the foyer of the building for members of the public to access and learn more about keeping safe on the roads.

Greg Charman, community safety manager at Horsham’s Community Safety Partnership, was down informing people how to stay safe over the winter months and recommending items that people should keep in the boot of their car in case of snow and ice over the next few months.

He said: “Days like this are really important to spread the message. We are here to recommend to people what they should keep in their boot this winter. Lots of people have been quite unsure so we are making sure people are more aware.”

But the day was not just about promoting road safety. The week also tied in with Alcohol Awareness Week and there were lots of stalls and charities down to try and stop people drinking and driving and teaching everyone about the dangers of alcohol.

Carole Richardson, Sussex Safer Road Partnership communications officer, was down to do some research into drink driving.

She said: “What we are doing here is a lot of research into drink driving as we have seen a slight increase in woman breaking the law in the last year. It is not just Brake road safety week but also alcohol awareness week so it is very important. We are also teaching people when it comes to drinking there is no safe limit.”

There were also members from Horsham Matters and the Horsham Wellbeing teams down at the event along with the West Sussex County Council Road safety team and representatives from operation crackdown.

Dan Morris, substance misuse manager for Horsham Matters, said: “Today has been very good. I work with a lot of under 18s who might have encountered alcohol. I have done a lot of work with young people trying to help them make informed decisions about leading a healthier life.”