Keep our Roads Safe and Avoid The Fatal Five
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“Road Deaths caused by the Fatal Five cause devastating consequences; not only on those involved in the collision, but also on the wider circle of family and friends. They are all choices and if everyone chose to drive safely, to make safety a choice not a chance, then we could see less tragedy on our roads”
Teresa Ciano, GoSafe Partnership Manager
In 2019, 94 people were killed in road traffic collisions on the roads of Wales, and 963 were seriously injured. Speeding, using a mobile phone, not wearing a seatbelt, driving without due care and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs can all lead to fatal and serious collisions and are the most frequently reported causes of a fatal collision.
From the 19th-25th January, 2021, the All Wales Fatal Five Campaign to raise awareness of this issue took place; with colleagues and partners from all four Police Forces taking action by educating and enforcing the Fatal Five offences.
Unsafe or poor choices are the main causes for these offences and the aim of the campaign was to encourage more drivers to think about their behaviour and to change their attitude towards the part they can play in keeping our roads safer for all road users.
The campaign was launched on the evening of the 19th by the Police & Crime Commissioner for Dyfed-Powys Police, Dafydd Llywelyn via a Facebook Live discussion and question & answer session between himself, Assistant Chief Constable Travis from South Wales Police, and Teresa Ciano, GoSafe Partnership Manager.
The Police & Crime Commissioner for Dyfed-Powys Police, Dafydd Llywelyn said:
“It was great to launch the Fatal 5 campaign in January during my virtual community campaign, live on Facebook with both Teresa Ciano from Go Safe, and ACC Mark Travis of South Wales, and it was pleasing to get a positive response from the public to our discussions. The Fatal five strands can all lead to devastating consequences; not only on those involved in the collision, but also on the wider circle of family and friends. I hope that through campaigns such as Fatal 5, we can work together to raise awareness of key issues and ensure our roads become safer”.
On a daily basis, GoSafe Casualty Reduction Officers target three of the Fatal Five elements and along with our colleagues across the four Welsh Police Forces, we recorded the following offences on the roads of Wales:
- 13 drink drivers and 45 drug drivers arrested
- A total of 37 careless driving offences
- A total of 36 seatbelt offences
- A total of 17 mobile phone offences
- A total of 1,233 speeding offences
During the course of the week-long campaign a total of 1,381 reportable offences were detected with a 102 driver warnings issued and 58 drink and drug driving arrests were made.
South Wales Police’ Assistant Chief Constable Mark Travis, Strategic Lead for Roads Policing in Wales said:
“Officers will be proactive in making roads across Wales a safer place for all road users.
This operation involved roads policing officers working closely with colleagues from other forces, who between them this year have dealt with many fatal and serious road traffic collisions.
We plan to continue these operations with the support of our partners to ensure our communities see a reduction in the number of collisions. I would like to thank the majority of road users who drive with care and respect for others.”
GoSafe’s strategic aim is to make Welsh roads safer and to reduce injuries and fatalities on the roads of Wales. We will continue to support the Fatal Five Campaign, and by raising awareness of how a change in behaviour and attitude can lead to a safer journey for all road users, our aim is to encourage more motorists, of all ages, to make the safe choice and help make our roads safer for everyone.